A Matter of Trust
by TheUnbreakableIllusion
Summary: After her demonic father has been defeated, Raven begins to realize her seemingly harmless crush on a certain dashing leader has grown. A new chapter has begun in the lives of two Fowl Tempered Titans. Where will it lead?
1. Prologue and Chapter 1: The Fall

A/N: This is my first foray into Fan Fiction, and I'd like to say it's completely new for me. I was inspired to write this after I re-watched all of the seasons, and it felt to me like Raven and Robin were a much more interesting couple than Robin and Starfire. I would expect there to be a lot of angst, as both characters are dark, introspective, and not prone to sharing how they feel. I'll always welcome any criticism, and I intend to stick to the show's universe, as I know little to nothing about the comics. With that said, read on.

**Disclaimer: I never have, nor ever will, own the Teen Titans, or any DC related heroes/villains/scenarios. I thank Warner Bros. for letting me mess with their world.**

**Prologue**

It was a crush. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less. That's what she kept telling herself; what she _had_ to keep telling herself. Crushes led to infatuation, to longing, to lust, to…well, emotions. Emotions that she needed to control. If she ever lost control… No. She would not lose control now, not after finally defeating her inner demons. Literally.

It was a girlish crush. It had begun as all crushes do: simple desire. And who wouldn't desire him? He was suave, confident, built, heroic, and handsome. That's all anyone saw. Hell, he had entire fan clubs devoted to his physical attributes alone. He was the leader; the one who had seen them all through hell and back. It was only natural to be attracted to confidence, especially when it was the cornerstone of their whole team.

It was a foolish crush. When could a guy so bold and mysterious ever have time for her? It was only natural that the dashing hero saved the beautiful damsel and lived happily ever after. That was the story, wasn't it? It was every foolish story she'd ever read. But real life doesn't have happy endings. People come, and people go. The hero and the damsel leave the rest of the world to fend for themselves, never truly noticing the others they passed along the way.

It was an endearing crush. In one of his darkest hours, she was there for him. She went where others could not go and pulled him back from the brink of insanity, but did he notice her? Perhaps, but not in the way she had dreamed. In her darkest hour, when the world had literally gone to hell, he was there for her. He went where others dared not to go and inspired hope in a hopeless wasteland.

It was just a crush. But as much as Raven tried to deny it, tried to hide it, tried to forget it, her crush had evolved. A simple girlish crush had grown and bloomed into feelings she had never felt before, dangerous feelings that threatened to spiral out of control and crash through her carefully constructed walls. It was not just a crush. It was more. And it was terrifying. She was in love with her dashing leader, the Boy Wonder himself: Robin.

* * *

_Control_.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

_Again_.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

The mantra was her focus; her stepping-stone into herself. Whether she desired to reach inside for the power to hurl a car into an enemy or simply to find her center and meditate, those words allowed her to block the outside world and all of its influences.

Breathing deeply, Raven began to calm the thoughts and feelings rampaging around inside her head. Within minutes, she was calm, quiet, and emotionless. She was one with herself, and her powers. Everything was alright with the world at that moment.

But the world wasn't alright a short time ago. Not even a full week had passed since the Teen Titans had fought valiantly against the demon Trigon, destroying him and reverting the world back to normal. Well, it wasn't so much the Titans as it was Raven. And it wasn't so much her as it was _him_…

Raven gritted her teeth and tried to banish the thought from her mind.

_Control._

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

_Again._

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

_Why? Why him? Why now? What changed?_

Frustrated, Raven tried to collect her fragmented thoughts. _What better place to start, then at the beginning?_

When Raven joined the Titans, she knew that she would have to be in control at all times. When you're half-demon, and letting any emotion run rampant could spell destruction on a global scale, there was no room for mistakes. The monks of Azar had taught her how to separate her emotions and control them, fearing that even letting her experience an emotion could mean their doom. Because of her training, she had a tendency to appear detached and cold, picking apart every feeling like it were a specimen on a dissection table. To the others, Beast Boy especially, she seemed cynical and depressive, enjoying only the suffering of herself and the others, unable to relate to any of them.

She was a bitch. But she didn't want to be. It was her only choice, besides losing control and potentially killing someone. She feigned indifference, and used biting wit to keep others away because she cared about her friends and was scared that letting them in could lead to their demise. Raven was okay with being isolated in her room with only her books to keep her company if it meant her friends lived another day, she only wished someone would understand.

And then Beast Boy and Cyborg got ahold of her portal to Nevermore: the astral projection of her mind. And then Starfire and Raven switched bodies. Slowly, the others began to see why she isolated herself. They even saw what happens when an emotion gets out of control, after the scary movie had caused her powers to manifest monsters worthy of nightmares. But no one truly understood. She was demonic. She was an abomination that would bring about the end of the world. If they ever knew the truth…

But they didn't. No one ever would, until _he_ went and messed it all up. When she met him, Robin was cocky and thickheaded, but he was strong and capable as their leader. He was also attractive, and she had allowed herself to be amused by his looks and attitude. She figured that a light crush couldn't hurt, that it was easily controlled, and that it would pass in time, the way any crush would. She was almost right, as it seemed Robin wasn't interested in her when he had the beautiful redheaded space alien occupying his thoughts. Raven had just about accepted him as a friend, when he just had to lose it.

Robin had been driven mad from a chemical he had inhaled from Slade's broken suit. The substance created a vision of Slade that couldn't be defeated, and it was ripping Robin apart from the inside. In a last ditch effort, Raven had sent her soul-self into his mind, and was able to see how real the projection of Slade truly was to Robin. But on the way, she passed memories. A darkened cave, a cascade of bats, a cowl, the mask, a circus, a broken trapeze. These memories had such darkness to them, such pain, such loneliness. Suddenly she understood why he was so thickheaded and stubborn, why he had to be the best, why he couldn't tolerate failure. She had always figured he was just a stubborn boy who was always dealing with the shadow cast by the Caped Crusader; that he wanted to rebel and be a big boy doing his own thing. She hadn't known it was as much of a mask as the one he wore to conceal his identity

From that day on, the two became closer. The magic she used to enter his mind created a powerful bond between them. She was able to read his emotions more clearly than anyone else, and her powers seemed to unconsciously have tabs on him at all times. Though he never brought up his past, and she never mentioned her demonic heritage, Robin and Raven knew each other better than anyone. Yet, each kept up their respective walls, never truly letting the other in, though they may have gotten close a couple of times.

It was not until Raven's sixteenth birthday that everything began to unravel. Slade came back leading her father's demonic army, she ushered the destroyer of worlds into her realm, and life as we know it ceased to exist. Then Robin found her, brought her back, and helped her find the power inside herself to undo all the evil her father had ushered in. It was then that she knew her feelings for Robin had grown. It was inevitable. He swooped down like a knight in shining armor to save the day. It was every girl's fantasy, right? But not hers.

She cared for him. That much was true, and it was enough to make her frustrated as hell. But Raven was no damsel in distress. She was a powerful sorceress, and he was a boy with a bunch of fancy gadgets. She wouldn't be impressed with his dashing heroics and overprotective angles. She wasn't. So why did she care?

_Because there's more to him beneath the masks he wears._ She knew that. No one else did. And that was what was infatuating. She wanted to know who he really was beneath his mask of confidence. And now that she wouldn't fly off the handle, she would find out.

At least, she hoped.

**Chapter 1: The Fall**

Flight. It was a sensation unlike any other. The weightlessness as she soared through the air was addictive. Adrenaline poured through her veins as she effortlessly transitioned from her flight into a flip. As she caught the swing that rose up to meet her, the crowd cheered below. It filled her with a sense of pride. There she was. Above them all. And they loved her. She could do anything. She was invinci-

Wait.

Raven could only fly through levitating. It required intense concentration and was not a process that was made for her enjoyment. So why was she soaring through the air like a bird?

_I must be dreaming,_ she mused, _but these are unlike any dreams I've ever had._

Lucid dreaming was a normal thing for Raven. If she had a nightmare and didn't have control, she could release something in her sleep. Therefore, she was trained to recognize signs that she was dreaming so that she could control it, if necessary.

Raven took a deep breath and tried to levitate towards the ground, breaking the illusion of flight and the crowd. She focused all of her thoughts on a cool, black, emotionless abyss, intending to transition from sleep to meditation. Usually, this would cause her dream to fade away as she regained consciousness. This time, nothing happened. The dream continued on, uninhibited. Raven was still swinging from trapeze to trapeze, listening to the crowd gasp in reverence.

Raven closed her eyes, and tried again, this time muttering her mantra. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zin-"

Her eyes snapped open as the audience roared in tumultuous applause. Now she was looking down on the scene high above the trapeze artists. For whatever reason, she couldn't control the dream, or even end it. Frustrated, Raven prepared to pull herself out of sleep entirely, but something caught her eye.

A young trapeze artist waved at the crowd below. The boy had jet-black hair with a muscled upper body and a familiar outfit… In fact, he looked an awful lot like…

Raven's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when she realized who it was: Robin. Somehow she had entered his dream. She tried to focus on the only familiar figure in this dream, but Robin had disappeared. She scanned the nests where the performers rested, but only a smiling couple waited above. Suddenly, she heard him cry out, "No!'

He was on the ground, now fully matured and in his iconic suit. He had whipped out his grappling hook and had fired it around the top of the nest. Yet the smiling couple did not seem to hear. They waved to the crowd, and began their routine. They were perfect, graceful, and their skill showed as they flew from swing to swing, diving, flipping, and catching one another.

Robin's grappling hook should have pulled him to the top in second flat, but the closer he got to his destination, the slower his ascent became. Raven watched as the couple reached for the next swing, and it broke in their hands. Robin's wordless scream echoed through the tent as the couple plummeted to the ground below. Raven reached for her powers to save the couple, but realized that she couldn't alter this dream. She lowered her head and turned away from the grisly scene of their impact.

Robin finally reached the top and sunk to his knees. The lights went out, the dream shifted and Robin was no longer kneeling high above a circus, but trapped inside a sprawling darkness. A malicious cackle boomed out, seemingly from all sides at once, "Oh, poor little Robin. That was quite a fall! But don't you worry about it; you know you couldn't save them. You couldn't even save yourself."

The white face of a clown materialized out of the blackness, but this face was cruel, scarred, and insane. Raven knew of this face, but only from reputation. Who hadn't heard of the notorious Joker? Robin and Batman had put him away numerous times, yet it seemed that remnants of numerous encounters with the madman still bothered Robin.

Robin started, shocked that the Joker was in his dream. Robin looked for his weapon, but found none. "Get out," he spat venomously at the Joker.

The Joker chuckled, "Lighten up, Robby! Look on the bright side! Birds of a feather fall together!"

The Joker erupted into howling laughter, as Robin roared and ran at him. Without warning, a towering figure rose out of the darkness; a dark cowl with glowing slits for eyes. The eyes narrowed and swept Robin into the darkness, dragging him away from the ghostly apparition. As the Joker's head vanished, Robin stood alone in the darkness, falling to his knees once again. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't able to warn you. I couldn't save you. I'm sorry."

A tear rolled down his cheek, and Raven simply couldn't stay on the sideline anymore. She glided towards him, intent on comforting him somehow. Robin looked up, suddenly seeing Raven for the first time. His eyebrows furrowed; confused, he opened his mouth to speak, but the darkness crashed down on them both, throwing Raven out of his head and back to the world of the living.

* * *

Raven awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed. The dream had been so vivid and real, that standing on the sidelines had even caused her distress. She slowed her breathing, and tried to find her center.

After spending a few minutes meditating, Raven was able to analyze the events that occurred. Now she understood the significance of the broken trapeze she had seen in Robin's head long ago. Those two performers meant something to him, and he blamed himself for their accident related death. The Joker was the manifestation of his doubt, and the Cowl she could only imagine was his mentor. But who were the doomed performers? What connection did they have to the young Titan?

Her stomach rumbled, breaking her concentration. Though she could have ignored the problem, Raven figured it would be easier to concentrate with no distractions potentially looming over her. Maybe some tea could take the edge off of her hunger. She rose, dressed in her customary leotard and cloak, and ventured out of her room.

Judging by how quiet it was, Raven guessed it was quite early in the morning. As she reached the kitchen, her guess was confirmed by the slowly brightening sky. It was still dark enough to be considered nighttime, but the light had just begun to turn black clouds grey.

Raven found the cupboard with the dry cereals, granola bars, teabags, and other various foods left open, so she helped herself to a teabag. An opened cereal box was on the table, complete with a full bowl and a gallon of milk. Yet the owner of the meal was nowhere to be found. Raven already knew who the meal belonged to, and she had an idea as to where he was.

After putting the kettle on, waiting for the water to boil, and pouring herself a cup of tea, Raven left the kitchen in search of their leader. She glided up the stairs to the roof, and slowly turned the doorknob leading outside. Just like she knew he would be, Robin sat on the edge of the tower, looking out onto the horizon. He was not clad in his signature red and green suit, but a simple white t-shirt and jeans. As the door clicked, he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his mask, quickly attaching it to his face. He did not look at her as she approached, but he did nod at her as she sat down next to him. "Raven."

"Robin," she replied, following his gaze out towards the skyline. "You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep," he replied nonchalantly. "Besides, I like watching the sunrise."

Raven nodded, knowing if he wanted to speak to her he would. She wasn't going to try and beat it out of him, though there were questions she was dying to ask.

They sat there in silence as the first tendrils of sunlight burst out into the sky, with only the quiet sounds of her sipping her tea to break the silence.

"You're up early too," he said, breaking the silence and tearing his eyes away from the first light of day.

She shrugged, and motioned to her cup. Robin nodded, his thoughts elsewhere.

"Everything alright?" she inquired.

He didn't look at her. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Fine."

Raven decided, after a couple more minutes of silence passed between them, that it was time to take a risk. She took a deep breath, and turned to face him. "Robin, I… I wanted to thank you again."

Robin's eyebrows rose. He returned her gaze and opened his mouth, but Raven cut him off. "I know I've said it already, but if it weren't for you I'd still be stuck as a scared, confused little girl in a horrible waking nightmare."

Robin shrugged. "It wasn't just me. Our friends helped too. I couldn't have found you if it weren't for their distraction-"

"No, Robin," Raven interrupted him. "My father knew about your little journey from the beginning. He chose to let it happen because he was overconfident. The others helped, but none of what they did actually distracted him. If you didn't find me and help me realize there was still hope, you'd all be dead. It was our bond that helped me remember anything in the first place."

Robin nodded, but tried to shrug the praise off. "Well, I would have done it for anyone. I wouldn't let anyone on my team be alone in a time like that."

The sun finally broke free and light cascaded over the water. Dawn's light caused the two Titans to stop and look over the sea for a couple minutes. Robin closed his eyes, and absentmindedly rubbed his forehead. Raven lowered her head, collecting her thoughts. _Well, here goes nothing._

Raven looked directly into his eyes. "Robin, you might not be able to save everyone, but you saved me."

Robin's eyebrows narrowed. "I know I can't save everyone. I'm not a child."

That wasn't the answer Raven expected. Her violet eyes darkened. "I wasn't calling you a child, Robin. I was trying to thank you for saving my damn life. Forget I said anything."

Robin scowled. "Listen, I appreciate your thanks, but they're unwarranted. I would have done the same for anyone. I don't need you to thank me."

Raven opened her mouth to retort, but Robin turned on her. "Besides, what do you mean, I can't save everyone? What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say thank you! Can't you even accept a damn compliment?! I know you beat yourself up if anyone ever gets hurt, but you can't save everyone! You couldn't save those people on the trapeze, but you saved an entire fucking city! I think that makes up for it!"

Robin's eyes widened for a split second, then narrowed sharply. "So you _were_ in my dream last night," he growled, clenching his fist.

_Shit_. "Robin, I-"

"No. I don't want to hear it." Robin stood abruptly, and walked towards the door. When he reached it opened it and turned towards her. "Do me a favor, and stay the fuck out of my head," he snarled, then slammed the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2: Floodgates

**A/N:** At a certain point in this chapter, Robin has a little flashback to the events of the first chapter, only from his point of view. I've tried to show this by breaking the page with "***" Also, it's written in italics, with his thoughts written normally, to show that this already happened. Hopefully that doesn't create any confusion! Read on, and, as always, I'd love to hear any criticism, comments, or thoughts.

**EDIT**: Well, The "***" seems to hate me and never sticks around. I've added regular page breaks to where the flashback occurs, and I hope that it isn't too much of a chore to figure out what the hell is happening.

**Disclaimer: I never have, nor ever will, own the Teen Titans or any of the DC Universe. I thank DC and Warner Bros. for letting me mess around in their world.**

** Chapter 2: Floodgates**

_You can't save everyone!_

Raven's words echoed through Robin's head as he made his way down the stairs back to the main room.

_You can't save everyone!_

They continued to plague his thoughts as he scraped his uneaten breakfast into the trash and threw the various components into their respective cabinets.

_You can't save everyone!_

They followed him down to the training room, and lingered after every blow he placed on the punching bag.

_You can't save everyone!_

"I GET IT!" Robin roared, as he hit the bag so hard it broke off of its chain.

Breathing heavily, Robin slumped against the wall. He couldn't save everyone. He knew it. He became Robin to save others, others like his parents…

Robin closed his eyes. "Keep it together. You're fine. You're tough. Today is just another day."

_You might not have been able to save everyone, but you saved me…_

Raven's words haunted his thoughts. What was she really trying to say? She had thanked him before. And it's true; he would have done the same if it were any other member of the team in her position. So why did it bother him so?

_Well_, Robin thought, _she did see something that she shouldn't have._ His dreams were private. He wasn't sure why she had looked into his nightmare, but she did. She probably intended to help. But he didn't care. Angrily, he went over the morning's events in his head, trying to sort out the mess that occupied his thoughts…

* * *

_Robin awoke from his nightmare covered in sweat, adrenaline pumping through his veins. As he realized where he was, and that his visions had only occurred in his head, he groaned and shifted his legs off of the bed. The nightmare was more vivid than it had been in a long time. It had a few new tricks up its sleeves too; the Joker hadn't ever taunted him before. Hell, Robin wasn't even sure if the Joker had any idea who he really was, though he wouldn't put it past him._

Raven was new too_, he mused, pulling on an undershirt and jeans. _What was she doing there?

_Robin opened his door and glanced around outside. As he expected, it was far too early on a Saturday morning to see any of the usual commotion around the tower. He grabbed his mask, but slipped it into his pocket. _Today I'm going to watch the sunrise as Dick Grayson instead of Robin, _he decided._ I owe that much to them at least.

_Deep in thought, Robin wandered towards the kitchen, absentmindedly pouring himself a bowl of cereal. As he lifted the spoon to his mouth, he finally realized he was operating on auto-pilot, and left his breakfast on the table. _Sunrise first, then breakfast,_ he reminded himself._

_His thoughts were elsewhere as he stared out across the sea from atop Titan's Tower. Instead of relishing the growing light of dawn, Robin couldn't get the scene of his nightmare out of his head. Over and over, he kept thinking about the snapping rope, his slow ascent, his parents plummeting to their deaths, the Joker's maniacal laughter, and his mentor's shadowed cowl. It was worse this time. Much worse. But why? Why was it suddenly bothering him after so many years?_

_Robin heard the door to the roof open, and quickly attached his mask. _So much for watching the sunrise as Dick Grayson.

_Robin didn't need to look to see who was approaching. He felt it long before he would have needed to look. The bond seemed to have that effect. Whenever Raven got closer, he knew. It was…odd. It was like a sixth sense, but to the point where if felt like he had a phantom limb that could get up and walk away whenever it fancied._

_"Raven," he stated, acknowledging her existence. "Robin," she replied…_

* * *

_Today is just another day, _Robin thought, grimacing as he came back to reality._ Yeah right._

Robin sighed. Today was the anniversary of the death of his parents. Every year, without fail, Robin had gone to their grave on this day. Bruce had insisted upon it. This year was the first that Robin wasn't in Gotham.

In his defense, he was a little more preoccupied with saving the world from an inter-dimensional all-powerful demon king, but the decision to stay in Jump City weighed heavily on Robin's mind. He had a duty to pay his respects to his parents, but he felt that leaving the city right after it had just been put back to normal was also a neglect of duty. Things might seem normal, but there was no way that everyone had just forgotten about being frozen in stone while the world burned around him. He had to be there in case anything went wrong.

It was then that Robin's communicator went off. He snatched it up, realizing that it was being hailed on a different channel than the Titan's usual communications. He opened the communicator, glanced at the display, then snapped it shut. _Great,_ he thought, _that's exactly who I need to hear from right now._

Grimacing, Robin stood and made his way to his room, shutting the door behind him. He sat at the computer at his desk, flipped a couple switches, and stared up at a face he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Hey, Bruce…"

* * *

_Great job, genius. That was tactful. Now he'll totally open up to you._

Raven sighed. Things had not gone according to plan. She really hadn't even had a plan. She just wanted to know what was bothering him so much.

_Blurting out that you stumbled into his dream was the best way to show that you care, by the way. There's no way he'll guard every thought from you from now on._

Raven looked out at the rising sun one last time, but decided there was no reason to stay up on the roof so early in the morning. She rose, finishing her tea, and made for the door.

She descended the stairs, hoping she wouldn't run into Robin again. Raven entered the living room, but found no one, much to her relief.

_Typical,_ she thought. _It's a Saturday. I'd be surprised if anyone was up before noon. _As she made her way towards the hallways, she glanced at the table where Robin's untouched breakfast had been. The table was now cleared of all evidence that he'd even been there.

Raven was tempted to find Robin and try to apologize, but she doubted he'd want to even talk to her. Instead, she deposited her cup in the sink and made her way back to her room. She heard muffled grunts and the sound of impacts on a punching bag from the training room downstairs, grimacing at how much worse of a mood she had put him in.

Raven made her way to her room, entered, and shut the door behind her. Meditation was what she needed now. First, to organize her thoughts into something rational, then a good book, and finally interaction with Robin after he had sufficient time to cool down. That was the plan, and it seemed like a good one to her.

Seating herself in the Lotus position, Raven relaxed her shoulders, closed her eyes, and opened her mind. After today's mishap, it was a little harder to get a grip on her emotions, so Raven turned to her mantra for support.

_Control._

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

_Again._

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

The real world slipped away, and Raven was left in the cold, dark embrace of her mind's eye. This emotionless abyss was exactly what Raven needed, and she felt her concerns, longings, and thoughts slipping away. Raven reached out with her power, feeling the auras of Starfire sleeping peacefully with Silkie, Beast Boy conked out amongst his disaster of a room, and the gentle hum of Cyborg's recharging machine as he slumbered. The empath felt a stab of anger, pain, and confusion from the direction of the training room, though she did her best to avoid it. Robin had made it clear to stay out of his head, and she didn't intend to rock the boat.

Satisfied with her outward probe, Raven turned her mind's eye inward, blocking out all distractions from the outside world, including her friends' auras.

Like a surgeon taking a scalpel to flesh, Raven separated and studied each thought and subsequent emotion that accompanied it. First, she had felt concern for Robin and his troubled past. Why? Because she had somehow witnessed his pains firsthand, via dream. However, he had insisted that she leave him to his own problems, so with nary a thought, Raven banished the feeling of concern from her mind, replacing it with patient, indifferent apathy.

Raven had repeated this process with Anger towards Robin's flippant attitude and overreaction, Guilt for making his problems worse, Curiosity for what he was hiding, and, as she was dealing with more and more, Love, for getting her into this mess in the first place. She refused to classify it as Love, tearing it into Loneliness, Longing, and Attraction. It was always harder to banish these emotions, but Raven wasn't about to lose control.

Raven finally settled into complete and total detachment, calm and serene due to the lack of interference in her thoughts. She was relaxed. She was one with the universe. She was-

A sudden outburst of violent rage broke through her bubble, and assaulted her mind. Raven's concentration broke completely, and a surge of emotions poured through the holes of her introspective sphere. Struggling to re-discover her center, Raven searched for the source of the problem.

_Who else would it be,_ she frowned, locating the aura of the offending outburst. _Robin. What now?_

Raven recalled her soul-self, opened her eyes, swallowed, and ventured out of her room. She glided silently towards Robin's room, chiding herself the entire way. _He doesn't want to see anyone, he's a private person, you'll only make him mad._

Yet Raven couldn't sit by and ignore this outburst. Not when they were so linked that his anger broke her concentration. That was a problem. Whether she could help or not, she was going to fix the problem.

As she got close to the door she caught a few muffled phrases from a one-sided conversation. They weren't happy. Most of them were curse words, but Raven did hear quite clearly, "Yes, I know what today is!"

Raven stopped in front of her door, and pushed her ear up against the side of the door. It was a clear breach of privacy, but she was too curious now to stop.

"No, I wasn't planning on coming back today."

"Who cares? I'll do it eventually!"

"Something pretty big happened not very long ago! I can't just leave no-"

"Excuse me, Mister Perfect. I forgot the World's Greatest Detective knew the answers to every single problem ever."

"Whatever. I-wait."

Robin stopped talking. He probably knew she was outside. _Of course he had proximity alams, you idiot,_ she groaned inwardly. _What are you doing, spying on him? What would you do if anyone did that to you?_

"Someone's at the door. I'll talk to you later," Robin stated, disconnecting from the conversation.

_Shit_.

Steeling herself, Raven knocked loudly upon his door. Hopefully, she could write it off as just coming to the door now. Whatever the problem was, whoever he was talking to, Raven was going to fix this. At least so it didn't interrupt her again.

_This is gonna get ugly…_


	3. Chapter 3: Conflict

**A/N: **After speaking with one of my readers, I realized that Raven's outburst early in the story was somewhat out of character for her. However, I rationalized this as a combination of emotions that she didn't have time to control earlier. His violent reaction to her olive branch wasn't what she had expected and it caused her to lash out. Regardless, it is my intent to give Raven more control before she flies off the handle. Thanks to all those who continue to read, and I always enjoy hearing what you readers think.

This chapter was fun to write, hell, it pretty much wrote itself. I had always wanted there to be some sort of conflict between Robin and Batman in the show, so I figured it was about time I made some. Read on!

**Disclaimer: I never have, nor ever will own the Teen Titans or any of the characters/situations in the DC Universe. I thank Warner Bros. and DC for letting me mess around in their world.**

**Chapter 3: Conflicts**

Bruce Wayne cut an imposing figure, even without his mask to help terrorize the criminals that dared to roam his city at night. His dark hair was matted down after being stuffed under his hood, but his eyes were sharp and calculating and his jawline was set in stone. He gazed down at Robin via viewscreen, and Robin could see right away that the man was tired. He had dark circles under his eyes, and a fresh bruise on his right cheekbone. _He must have actually taken a couple hits last night,_ Robin thought.

As he stared into the screen displaying his mentor's wizened features, Robin couldn't help but wonder which was more intimidating; the Caped Crusader's cowl, or the lines in Bruce Wayne's face that made him look far too old for his years.

"Dick," the billionaire crime fighter replied to Robin's less-than-enthusiastic greeting. "Are we on a secure channel?"

Robin rolled his eyes. "Of course we're on a secure channel. I wouldn't just blurt out your identity if I thought there was a chance we'd be heard."

Bruce's eyes narrowed. "Your attitude is not helping."

"Deal with it," Robin sneered. "What did you want?"

"I want you back here. In Gotham. Where you belong."

Robin shook his head. "What, so you can baby me some more?"

"Dick-"

"No," Robin interrupted, gritting his teeth. "It's been a long time since I've been back; a little over a year, by now. I've been nearly crushed by a sentient slab of stone, been shot at by a raging motorcyclist, been thrown across the city by a girl who could control the earth, and thrashed time and time again by a one-eyed terrorist; yet every single time we talk, you want me to come home because a psychopath shot me in the shoulder. Can't you just drop it, already?"

"Alright, fine," Bruce sighed, throwing up his hands. "Evidently, you know how to take care of yourself. But your place is at my side. Gotham needs you."

"Really? I heard you've been doing a pretty good job all by yourself. Besides, _this_ is my home now," Robin yelled, gesturing around his room. "_This_ city needs me."

Bruce nodded solemnly, realizing he could not sway the young hero. "I understand. I realize you've been busy, but you know what today is, right?"

This angered Robin more than anything else Bruce had ever said. He set off into a stream of curse words, slamming his fists into his desk. He was so furious he didn't notice his silent proximity alarm flash on an adjacent monitor.

"Yes," he snarled at the screen, "I know what today is!"

"Calm down, Dick," Bruce growled, beginning to get frustrated at the boy's lack of respect. "I just wanted to know if you were planning on coming back today."

"No, I wasn't planning on coming back today," Robin replied.

"Why not?" Bruce asked, his eyebrows furrowing as he spoke.

"Who cares? I'll do it eventually!"

"**_You_** should care!" Bruce roared, finally snapping out of his attempt to be calm. "This is _not_ something you can just put off!"

"Something pretty big happened not very long ago!" Robin shouted back. "I can't just leave no-"

"You should **_always_** make time," Bruce interrupted. "Even if something big happened. Jump City can't be as essential as this!"

"Excuse me, Mister Perfect," Robin sneered. "I forgot the World's Greatest Detective knew the answers to every single problem ever."

"Goddammit, Dick! Can't you just realize that this is important?"

"Whatever," Robin crossed his arms, glancing around the room. "I-wait."

Robin had been too focused on arguing with Bruce to notice the presence of another being drawing near. At first, he hadn't recognized it, but as it grew closer, he recognized the feeling. It was still something he was getting used to; thanks to their bond, Robin could feel exactly when Raven came near. She had called the phenomenon something, what was it again, an aura? Regardless, it didn't matter; It wasn't something he was looking forward to dealing with so soon. _What the hell does Raven want now?_

It seemed their bond was growing in strength. Robin wasn't so sure how he felt about that. While he admired Raven's way of dealing with stress and extreme emotions, he wasn't sure how much he could trust the empathic girl who had somehow found her way into his nightmare.

Robin glanced at his proximity alarm, confirming his suspicions that she was outside and he wasn't just imagining things. He looked up at Bruce and shook his head. "Someone's at the door. I'll talk to you later," Robin said, disconnecting the call.

Raven knocked loudly upon his door, probably trying to conceal the fact that she had heard some of the conversation. Robin paused at the doorway, steeled himself, then opened his door.

Raven stood outside with arms crossed and eyebrow raised, looking more like she was annoyed because _he_ had knocked loudly upon _her_ door. The hood of her blue cloak rested around her shoulders, her amethyst hair rippled from the breeze of his door suddenly opening, and her violet eyes stared coldly into his. Robin felt like a cadaver in an autopsy room under her icy gaze, but there was something oddly attractive about her pale skin and violet eyes staring directly into his soul…

Robin shook himself mentally. _Get a grip_, he chastised himself angrily. He quickly fell back into his own cold demeanor, still upset about the spat with her earlier and Bruce's overprotective annoyances.

"Raven," he said coolly, "What do you want?"

"I want you to keep a better handle on your emotions," Raven droned in her darkened voice. "You're interrupting my meditation."

"Maybe you should refrain from meditating inside my mind," Robin snapped at her.

Raven's eyebrow rose menacingly. "The bond is getting stronger," she replied as if he were nothing more than an annoying fly she was brushing off. "And you were mad enough that it broke through my meditation. That is a problem."

Robin exhaled and narrowed his eyes. "Sorry," he scowled. "Didn't realize your lack of control was such a problem." Raven rolled her eyes at this. "Can't you just block me out?" he asked.

"What, and deny myself all the angst-ridden outbursts of the Boy Blunder?" she scoffed, her words dripping with sarcasm. "Believe me, if I could, I wouldn't even be standing here."

"A simple 'no' would have been just fine," he sneered back at her.

Robin inhaled deeply, then exhaled, lowering his head and massaging his temples. "Look," he began, trying to hold his temper in check. "Today hasn't been the best day. I'm a little on edge."

Raven raised her eyebrows, suggesting she was holding back a sarcastic remark. Robin ignored her reaction, and continued. "I'm sorry I lost my temper earlier."

Raven nodded at his apology, but wasn't satisfied. "Sorry is all well and good, but what happens if you lose your cool in the middle of a fight and I can't block it out?"

Robin sighed, and shrugged. Raven took a deep breath, looked him over for a second, then uncrossed her arms and placed one upon his shoulder. "Robin, you need to learn control. You need to be able to think rationally when your emotions could distract you."

Robin started for a moment when she placed her hand upon him. He was genuinely surprised to see her reach out physically. It was…unlike her.

He regained his composure, and looked into her eyes inquisitively. "And how do you suggest I do that?"

Raven shrugged nonchalantly. "I could teach you control via meditation," she suggested.

This time it was Robin's turn to raise an eyebrow. "That's not really my thing."

"Well since 'your thing' is really doing a great job, I'll leave you to it," Raven replied, taking her hand off of his shoulder and turning to walk away. As she glided down the hallway, Robin sighed and stepped into the corridor. "Raven, look, I-"

She didn't stop and turn, but merely called over her shoulder, "My room. 7 o'clock this evening. Come by when you figure out 'your thing' really isn't cutting it anymore."

Robin watched her stroll out of sight, and lingered in the hall for a moment, before turning and going back into his room. He sat down at his desk and idly scrolled through various police reports on the computer screen. Despite everything that had gone on today, Robin was confused. Yeah, he was still irked at Raven, and yeah, he was still pissed at Bruce, but Raven's behavior was unlike anything he had seen the introspective girl do before. She had placed her hand on him, as if she was consoling him, and she had tried to thank him for saving her this morning. To top it all off, Robin had caught himself checking her out. _That_ was the most unusual part. Not that there was anything wrong with it; come on, a hormonal teenager is bound to check out any member of the opposite sex. But Raven? That was new. He'd never really thought of her as that attractive before. Redheads were usually more of his thing, looking at his track record with Barbara, and now Starfire, but today he had noticed Raven's subtle curves, her oddly inviting pale skin, and her haunting eyes, as if for the first time.

Robin shook himself again. This wasn't the time to daydream about girls, especially not about Goth girls. That really wasn't his thing either.

_That girl_, he decided, _is one hell of an enigma._

* * *

Raven's heart was pounding heavily in her chest as she rounded the corner out of Robin's line of sight. She took a deep breath, and pushed onwards, struggling to maintain her air of indifference. Though she was apathetic on the outside, several emotions were squirming around dangerously beneath the surface.

_You invited him to your room, to teach him how to meditate. It will be you, and him, alone in a room. Together. This can't have any consequences._

Raven keyed open her door, slammed it shut, then input the lock code. As the door beeped a confirmation, she collapsed upon her bed. What had gotten into her? She had intended to make Robin realize that he needed control. When he had snapped back at her, as she guessed he would, she offered to teach him a method of regulating his feelings. Logically, this all made sense. So why was the confrontation bothering her so?

Raven had been ready to deal with their angsty leader this time. She had lost control for a few seconds upon the roof this morning, though she rationalized that as a lack of discipline due to not meditating before confronting him. She had also gotten angry because all she had wanted to do was help, and he lashed out at her. This time, she was her normal, sarcastic, detached self. Though she honestly would have rather just talked with him, she was actually pretty proud of her "Boy Blunder's angst-ridden outburst" retort.

She had been herself, she had been in control, and she had implanted the seed of doubt that would eventually cause him to seek her assistance, or so she hoped. What was wrong?

_You touched him_, came the answer. _So what,_ she fired back at her subconscious. _I've touched him before. Hell, I even hugged him after I destroyed my father! What's so different now?_

_You showed compassion,_ was the disembodied reply. _Your feelings slipped through your mask and you showed him that you have feelings for him, at least subconsciously..._

Raven sighed, begrudgingly agreeing with the line of logic that led her to this conclusion. _Why is it so much harder to block out all these emotions when he's involved, _she wondered to herself. _Perhaps it's time to confront these emotions firsthand._

Raven rose, crossed her room, and picked up the small hand mirror resting upon her dresser drawer. She returned to her bed, crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and began to chant. She slowly levitated into the air, the mirror ascending with her. As she uttered a last command, Raven's eyes opened, flashing white with power. Her soul self exited her body and sauntered into the mirror, leaving an empty husk behind her.

Raven emerged from the portal into one of the projections of her mind; the one she frequented above all others. Nevermore was a barren, cold place. Jagged mountains jutted out at awkward angles from stone bases. Crude, narrow paths led through different sections of her mind, all surrounded by the blackness of space.

Raven glided along one of the paths until she reached a large clearing. The area looked like a large, crumbling amphitheater, and Raven came to a stop directly in the center. She reached out with her power and uttered a single command, her voice heavy with power "**_Come_**."

All at once, hundreds of different constructs of her emotions began to appear. Each one looked alike, yet they were separated by colored cloaks and slightly altered wardrobes. Beneath their respective clothing choices, however, they were all Raven.

Each of her constructs gathered silently in the amphitheater, gazing down upon their creator. Raven looked around at all of them, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Logic," she uttered, waiting for the reply. Logic stepped forward, her yellow robe and librarian's glasses clearly setting her apart. "Here," she replied.

"Your deduction," Raven continued, nodding her head at the construct. The construct pulled a tome from her cloak, flipped through a couple pages, paused upon one page, then spoke, "One can rationalize that the lack of control involving Robin is directly related to the bond between the two of you growing stronger," she replied, her tone clipped, emotionless, and cool.

Raven nodded. "Why?"

A flash of panic momentarily flashed across Logic's face, but it was gone just as soon as it had appeared. She swallowed audibly. "There is insufficient data to determine an answer at this time."

Then give me your best guess," Raven scowled.

Logic appeared nervous. "I-er-that is… It could be because-well, there isn't enough evidence of-"

"It's because you desire him," a smooth, silky voice purred from the ranks of identical empaths.

Raven rounded upon the intrusion. "Lust," she ordered, "You will speak when spoken to."

Lust stepped forward, her light-red cloak shimmering in the dim light. Lust's appearance was perhaps the most unsettling to Raven. Her leotard was torn into sections, much like it was when Slade had passed on her father's message. Lust had ripped the leotard down the front as well, exposing cleavage that Raven wasn't even sure she had. Lust smiled down at Raven, a disturbing notion, considering her lips were painted a full red. Raven wasn't sure if it was a loving smile, or that of a hunter grinning at its next meal.

"Of course, dear Creator," Lust replied, her voice smooth and seductive. "I meant no offense. I merely wished to alleviate the stress upon poor Logic."

Lust motioned to Logic, who was attempting to disappear back into the crowd. Raven settled her gaze upon Lust, crossing her arms. "So be it," she growled. "Speak."

Lust bowed gracefully, then spoke. "We both know that you find Robin desirable. It is only natural that as your desire grows, so does the bond between you."

As much as Raven hated to admit it, Lust made sense. "So what would you suggest, then?"

Lust grinned. "Indulge yourself," she whispered huskily. The voice was enough to make a shiver run down Raven's spine and her knees wobble slightly; she didn't even know she was capable of speaking like that.

Gathering herself, Raven glared at Lust and rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised? That's enough from you."

Lust bowed again, and slipped back into the crowd.

Raven's interrogation continued, questioning Compassion, Attraction, Longing, and Loneliness. Her questions didn't get her very far, as the consensus seemed to be that her little crush on Robin was the source of the problem.

After Loneliness disappeared back into the crowd, Raven sighed. "Thank you all for your help," she began, intending to banish them back to their respective positions. Yet once again, she was interrupted.

"Wait," a soft, sweet voice called out. It was much like Compassion in tone, but slightly more powerful.

Raven paled at the voice. She opened her mouth, but the voice stopped her. "I'm sorry to interrupt, just hear me out," it pleaded.

Raven glanced up at the intruder, confirming her fears. A light pink robe descended from the crowd, making its way towards its master. The construct removed her hood, gazing upon Raven with soft, warm eyes. "Love," Raven nodded at the construct. "I don't believe I'll be needing your input, thank you."

Love simply smiled and shook her head. "But I can tell you with certainty that while Robin is the source of the problem, he is also the solution."

"I don't think she wanted to hear from you," rumbled a voice from the crowd. Anger stepped forward, her four eyes glaring down at Love's interruption. Love simply smiled at Anger. "I know, Anger, but I think she needs to hear it."

"It is not your place to decide that," Anger snarled, stepping down into the center of the Amphitheater with Raven and Love.

"Anger, that's enough," Raven said, turning her steely gaze upon the construct. "Calm yourself, and get back in line."

Anger bowed, but did not take her four eyes off of Love as she retreated.

Raven turned on Love, but Love raised her hands in surrender. "I do not want to fight. You already know how to deal with Robin. The answer will reveal itself in time."

"What do you mean, Robin is the solution?" Raven asked. Love smiled as she turned and walked back into the crowd. "You already know the answer to that," she replied, then vanished.

Raven swallowed. "That's enough. You are all dismissed."

Raven waved her hand, imbuing the motion with a slight modicum of her power. The constructs faded away, and Raven was left alone. She gathered herself, turned, and walked out of the portal to Nevermore, returning to the harshness of reality…


	4. Chapter 4: A Matter of Trust

**A/N: **Damn I'm updating this story fast. I've had time on my hands, and this story has been bursting out of my head at every given opportunity, so I've been hammering this story out at every free moment. Like I said before, it pretty much wrote itself. Though I like my pacing, I wouldn't get used to seeing such frequent updates. I expect my muse to quiet down sometime soon. Thanks for reading, and thanks for commenting. Your ideas truly do help.

This is a long chapter, but it is also one that is rather crucial. It is, perhaps, the chapter that defines the whole story.

**Disclaimer: I never have, nor ever will own the Teen Titans or any of the characters in the DC Universe. I thank Warner Bros. and DC for letting me mess around in their world.**

**Chapter 4: A Matter of Trust**

It seemed a lot of time had passed since Raven had entered the portal to Nevermore. That was the most disjointed experience about going into her mind; time operated differently in Nevermore, so the hour or so she had spent in the other realm had translated as several hours in the real world. As her soul-self returned to her physical shell, Raven realized that her body required nourishment. Though her half-demon blood allowed her to sustain herself on the energies she tapped into whilst meditating, eating actual food was a much easier method of keeping her body's needs at bay.

Raven stood, stretched, and strode out of her room and into the hallway. The silence of early morning had been replaced with the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the tower. As Raven got closer to the kitchen, she heard the ever-present playful arguments of Beast Boy and Cyborg over their video games.

"And that's why little green monkeys can't fly spaceships. Booyah!"

"Whatever, dude. That race was bogus. I demand a rematch! This green monkey's gonna make an ape outta you!"

"You did not. Just. Call me. An ape. First I'm gonna beat your ass in-game, then I'm gonna beat your ass for real!"

Raven shook her head as she emerged from the hallway into the main room. As their conversation had previously stated, Cyborg and Beast Boy were seated upon the couch, locked in an intense game of…whatever racing game they were playing.

Starfire was in the kitchen, idly humming to herself as she prepared some gelatinous blob that only vaguely resembled food. The Tamaranean stomach was truly a frightening place.

Robin was the only one who was absent; Raven figured he was probably still sulking in his room.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were too focused on their game to acknowledge the opening door, but Starfire looked up eagerly. She smiled when she saw Raven, though Raven was sure she saw a brief moment of disappointment in her eyes when Raven stepped through the door instead of Robin.

"Friend Raven!" Starfire squealed, abandoning her neon green colored blob. "I am overjoyed to see you this evening!"

Raven winced at the sudden eruption of noise, but nodded politely at the redhead. "It's…good to see you too, Starfire," she responded, making her way to the fridge.

"There is no need to summon food, friend Raven, for I have made the delicious Tamaranean dish of-"

Raven cut Starfire off before she could name whatever horror she had concocted. "Thanks, Starfire, but I'm really not feeling like…whatever that is."

Starfire's face fell, but she shrugged and grabbed a large bottle of mustard from the table. "Then there will be more for me!" she declared triumphantly, drowning the blob in the thick yellow condiment.

Raven searched the fridge, avoiding the various items that had begun to gather mold. She spied a couple of leftover pizza slices, and decided cold pizza was the best thing the fridge had to offer at the moment.

As Raven turned to leave with the tinfoil wrapped slices, Starfire waved to get her attention. It seemed the alien girl had bitten off more than she could chew, and was having trouble swallowing before she could speak. With a loud gulp, Starfire cleared her throat and called out to Raven, "Friend Raven, have you seen friend Robin? He has not been here all day. I have done the knocking upon his door, but he has not responded!"

Raven shook her head, and continued out of the room. _Odd,_ she thought, _Robin usually doesn't just lock himself up in his room without any meals._

Letting the concern fall from her mind, Raven returned to her room and selected a book from her shelf. She idly glanced at the clock as she made her way to her bed. _Fifteen minutes until seven, _she thought, munching on one of the slices. _I'll be surprised if Robin actually shows. _

Telepathy made eating whilst reading so much easier. The book hovered in front of her directly at eye level, the pages turning themselves when she reached a break.

Time marched steadily onward as Raven read. She finished the pizza and relaxed, taking hold of the book and leaning up against her headboard. She glanced at the clock again, sighing when she noticed it now read ten minutes after seven. _Hopefully he'll get over his pride and figure out he needs help sometime soon,_ she thought.

The minutes ticked by, and Raven became engrossed in her story. It was a good ten more minutes before Raven realized there was soft knocking upon her door. Surprised, Raven stood suddenly and rushed to the door. She opened it just as Robin had turned and began to walk towards his room.

She leaned against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, well," she said, "what do we have here?"

Robin turned, his jaw set in a look of slight annoyance. "I didn't think you were going to answer," he stated flatly.

Raven glanced at her clock and back at Robin. "I had written you off about now, seeing as you're twenty minutes late," she retorted, crossing her arms.

"Are we gonna do this, or are we just going to snap at each other?" Robin sighed, crossing his own arms.

Raven stepped forward into the hall and gestured dramatically into her room. "Enter, if you dare, young grasshopper."

Robin rolled his eyes and strode into her room. She followed suit and motioned to the circle of candles in the center of her room. Robin carefully stepped over the candles and stood there awkwardly, unsure of what she wanted him to do.

He looked so different than he usually did, standing inside the circle of unlit candles; most of the time he stood with such confidence, as if everything he did had been meticulously planned. She took a moment to survey him in his uneasy state. He had changed from his undershirt into a simple black t-shirt, and his hair was untidy instead of gelled and styled perfectly. It seemed as if he had been training not long ago, as she caught the vague whiff of sweat under some sort of hastily applied cologne.

_Cologne? Who was he trying to impress?_

Robin looked at her confusedly and cocked an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

Raven realized she had been staring at him for a minute, and shook herself out of her stupor. "No," she began, attempting to reclaim her cool demeanor. "Just trying to figure out why you decided to drown yourself in cologne," she quipped.

Robin's face grew red. "It's body spray. I was working out earlier. I figured it would be rude to reek of body odor."

Raven shrugged. "Sit down, and try to relax," she ordered, turning away from him to gather some more candles from atop her dresser drawer. Arranging them in a circle adjacent to his, she levitated a box of matches from her desk across the room and into her hands. Robin struggled to sit comfortably in the circle, preferring letting his limbs splay out to keeping them close to his body.

Raven smirked at his lack of comfort as she lit both sets of candles. She easily settled into the lotus position, and motioned at Robin to do the same. Robin opened his mouth to complain, but Raven shot him a look that said, _do you want to do this, or not?_

Robin shut his mouth, rearranged his legs, and glared. Raven nodded as she spoke, "Meditation is the art of relaxing the mind," she began, closing her eyes…

* * *

_This is stupid,_ Robin thought, only half-listening to Raven drone on about meditation. _Why did I even agree to this?_

He felt like a fool, sitting uncomfortably on the cold floor surrounded by flickering candles. The only reason Robin had even considered coming was to get Raven off his back. If she just left him alone, maybe then he could get ahold of his anger_. Besides,_ he thought, _Bruce did all this meditation ninja shit. If Batman can do it, so can I._

He thought back to the moments before he had arrived in her room, quickly going over the day's events. After they had spoke, Robin had spent most of the day inside his room, pouring over police reports and organizing his own files on the various criminals they had dealt with. Around lunchtime, he ate a bowl of instant noodles he had stored in a cabinet in his room, before moving to some basic training. He spent all evening in the workout room, starting with stretches and moving onto weight training and acrobatic exercises. He had been pushing himself so hard, he had lost track of time. By the time he got back to his room, it was five minutes until seven o'clock.

Robin had stared at the clock, deciding whether to go meet Raven or stay in his room. He reeked of sweat, he still wasn't in the best mood, and he doubted her meditation would actually help anything.

On the other hand, she obviously wanted to help, she was offering up her own way of discipline towards her emotions, which she was very good at, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to spend time with those lilac eyes.

On the other, other hand, he already kind of had a thing with Starfire, he really wasn't into Goth girls, and she wouldn't ever show any emotions, which would make for an awkward relationship.

On the other, other, other hand, she understood him better than anyone else could, they had some sort of bond, and…goddammit. Time had flown by and it was fifteen minutes after seven. Cursing, Robin then decided he would bite the bullet and deal with meditation tonight. He had stripped off his workout clothes and pulled on a comfortable pair of jeans and a snug black t-shirt. He stopped to sniff under his armpit and grimaced, dousing himself in body spray on his way out.

He had arrived at Raven's door twenty minutes past seven, and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Still nothing.

_Looks like you missed your chance,_ he thought. _Oh well, it was a dumb idea anyway…_

Just then the door had opened. "Well, well, well," she had smirked…

"Hello? Earth to Bird Brain. Are you even listening?" Raven interrupted, breaking his line of thought.

"Uhh…" he said, grinning sheepishly. Apparently, going over the day's incidents had distracted him to the point where he hadn't noticed Raven had stopped talking. "Sorry, this is a little bit over my head."

Raven put her hands on her hips and sighed. "The gist of what I said is that this will help you relax and let go of whatever is bugging you. You need to start by blocking out all distractions of the outside world, and focus on finding your center."

Robin nodded.

She looked at him.

He looked back.

They stared at each other for a minute, and then she opened her hands towards him expectantly. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"Oh!" he said, "You wanted me to try that?"

Raven put her head in her hands. "Oh man," she groaned. "This is gonna be a long night…"

* * *

Though they had gotten off to a rough start, the evening was going better than Raven had hoped. Robin still had a long way to go before he could let go of the things that were bothering him, but after she had him repeating her mantra and finding his center, he certainly looked more relaxed. His muscles had lost their rigidness, his eyes behind his mask seemed softer, and the lines in his forehead had all but vanished.

Raven felt herself giving a rare smile as he sat with eyes closed, repeating the words she used daily. It was slightly odd hearing him murmur "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," on occasion, but she decided it was something she could get used to.

As she watched him, she felt a sudden urge to reach out and touch him again, but quickly repressed it. She did, however, appraise him silently. His muscles, while relaxed, were well defined beneath his shirt, and she couldn't get over how well proportioned his torso was. He didn't have rippling muscles, and certainly wasn't built like the football loving Cyborg, but he had a strong chest and slender, but firm arms. She imagined him wrapping his arms around her, and holding her close…

A small tendril of black energy shot out of her body and into one of the candles, extinguishing it. Robin cracked an eyelid at the noise, and Raven blushed, fumbling with the matchbook. _I guess he's not the only one in need of a little more meditation tonight, _she thought.

Raven closed her eyes and relaxed, intending to find her own center, when Robin suddenly spoke.

"Raven?" he asked, his voice faltering slightly.

"Yes Robin?" she replied.

"I, well… I'm sorry about earlier. This morning. When I got mad at you."

Raven swallowed. "I meant to apologize too," she said.

"You don't have to. You weren't being an ass for no reason," he grinned.

"Well, I had a reason," she said. "I didn't mean to intrude in your dream. I realize that wasn't for me to see. I'm sorry."

Robin's face fell as he remembered his nightmare, yet this time he did not lash out angrily. He stood, stretched, and stepped out of the circle, staring blankly at the wall mirror hanging above Raven's dresser drawer.

Raven stood too, and cautiously stepped towards him. "That face… It was the Joker, wasn't it?" Robin nodded. "And the dark shape was Batman?" Robin nodded again.

Nervously, Raven took another step towards Robin. "And the trapeze artists were…?"

Suddenly, Robin whirled around to face her. Startled, and anticipating him losing his cool again, Raven took a step back. "Robin," she began.

Robin shook his head. He closed the distance between them until he was centimeters away from her face. "Can I trust you?" he asked. She could feel his hot breath upon her face.

Confused, she blinked once, twice. "I, what?"

Robin swallowed. "I've never told anyone anything about my past. If this knowledge fell into the wrong hands, many people, including myself, could die. I need to know for sure, before I say anything else, Raven. Can I trust you?"

Raven's heart pounded wildly in her chest. _Where did this come from? What could he possibly know that would get him killed? He's not going to tell me his identity, is he?_

Robin's gaze did not falter, and she dared not look away. She stared at him for a couple minutes, heart racing, and finally nodded. "Yes, Robin. I promise, I won't tell anyone. You can trust me."

Robin didn't break eye contact for another minute, searching her eyes for something; any indication that she might not keep her word.

Eventually he nodded, backed up a few steps, and his eyes drifted away from hers.

"The trapeze artists in my dream," he began, taking a deep breath, "were my parents. When I was young, I was part of a traveling circus. My parents and I were acrobats, specifically trapeze artists. We used to perform really intense routines, usually without a net. One night, in Gotham, there was an accident. I thought I overheard someone threatening the owner of the circus, but when I tried to tell my parents, it was too late. Someone had sabotaged the swing, and it broke as my parents grabbed it. They died. But Batman was there, and he took me in. He gave a poor, broken orphan a home. He raised me like any father would. And he trained me to follow in his footsteps to save others."

"Robin," Raven gasped, moving closer to him. "I'm so sorry. I never knew."

Robin smiled and shook his head, though his eyes showed no mirth. "How could you have? You're the first person I've told since I left. Anyway, today is the anniversary of their death. Every year I make sure I go to Gotham today, to pay my respects. It's always been a tradition."

"So why didn't you go?" Raven asked.

Robin looked up into her eyes. "I figured the city would need us to be ready, just in case anything went wrong. Trigon destroyed everything. You can't just get up from that and act like nothing happened. There's bound to be some trauma. I guess I thought my parents could wait."

Raven felt a pang of guilt stab into her stomach. It was her fault. Because of her, Trigon had been able to come to the mortal realm. And even though they had beat him, Robin wasn't able to do what he needed to because he felt responsible for the city; the city that had been destroyed because of her influence.

Raven sank to her bed, trying to hold onto the tiniest bit of control she still had over her dangerously-close-to-escaping emotions. Robin sat next to her, wary of her reaction.

"Hey," he said softly, "Don't beat yourself up about it. It's not your fault."

Raven shook her head. "But it _is_ all my fault, Robin. If I hadn't-"

"Shh," Robin interrupted, putting a finger to her lips. "Don't blame yourself. We already won. It's over now. There's nothing to feel guilty about."

Raven's heart skipped a beat at his touch. Her inner struggle was swept away, and she felt a quiet serenity as she gazed into his eyes. She had the strange urge to pull off his mask and find out exactly what color his eyes really were.

They stared at each other for a moment, then Robin blushed and stood up from the bed. Raven looked away too, trying to hide the hue of red her own cheeks had taken on.

"W-well, as I was saying," Robin stammered, trying to regain his composure, "that's who was in my dream. And it was Batman I was arguing with when you came by earlier."

"I had a feeling that's who it was," Raven nodded at his words.

"So you _were_ listening at my door then?" Robin smirked.

_Shit_.

Raven shrugged sheepishly, knowing she'd been caught. Robin crossed his arms playfully and laughed.

"You walked right into that one," he said. She rolled her eyes. It didn't take that long for the confident, wisecracking, one-liner spewing side of Robin to poke its head out now that he wasn't pissed at the world.

"So long as you arrest me without making a bad pun about my capture, I'll go quietly," she smirked back.

"So you like handcuffs, got it. I didn't realize you so into the kinky stuff," he grinned.

"Alright, Boy Wonder, that's enough!" she chuckled, shoving him towards the door.

Laughing, Robin surrendered, allowing her to push him to the doorway. Though it was unlike her to smile and joke with Robin, she felt sincerely happy. Surprisingly, she didn't experience any of the dangerous side effects associated with indulging in one particular emotion for too long. With Robin around, the danger seemed to be lessened.

_Perhaps that was what Love was referring to_, Raven mused.

Robin paused at the doorway as Raven opened up the door. It was late, and the Tower was quiet.

"Raven?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks," he started, "I actually feel a lot better. It's hard having to deal with all of that by yourself all the time."

"You're welcome," she smiled, "But you still have a long way to go, young grasshopper."

"Same time tomorrow night?" Robin asked, rolling his eyes.

"Sure."

Robin walked into the hallway, yet he turned back to her. "Raven, I..." Robin stalled, unsure of himself. "Thanks for…for being an amazing friend."

_Friend?_

Though Raven's returning smile was genuine, her heart fell. "Of course, Robin. You've always been there for me," she nodded. _Of course he only sees me as a friend. That's all I'll ever be…_

"Goodnight, Robin."

Robin opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but abruptly closed it. "Goodnight," he replied.

She shut the door and keyed in the lock code. As it beeped in confirmation, Raven sighed. She unfastened her cloak as she walked to the bathroom, letting it fall in a heap upon the floor. She stared at her reflection for a few minutes, then hastily splashed some water on her face.

_Get it together,_ she growled at herself. _No matter what you do, he'll only see you as a friend. That is a fact. Deal with it._

It was easier said than done. Despite how happy she had been moments ago, it now felt as if it all had come crashing down upon her. She climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling, knowing that sleep would not come easy tonight...

* * *

_Thanks for being an awesome friend? That's the smoothest line you've ever said. She will be eating out of your palm for weeks, idiot. Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Robin berated himself the entire way back to his room, reliving over and over the night's events. She had taken his confession so personally, blaming herself for all of his problems. He had only wanted her to know she didn't have to blame herself. He hadn't even meant to put a finger to her lips, but the way she looked at him... No one had ever done that before, and the sensation of staring into those deep violet eyes showed a side of Raven he had never seen before. Without even realizing it, Robin had developed a crush on his teammate. He began to see that as he walked back to his room.

_And then you screwed the pooch, Boy Blunder._

He hadn't known what to say. He was confused. On one side, he had a fiery red-headed alien in a short skirt, who was lost and confused upon a foreign world. He could help her, she was always there for him, she had kissed him when they first met, and he was very attracted to her physically.

On the other side, there was a quiet, yet quick-witted half-demoness who he had a bond with. He could literally feel her presence as she approached. She understood him in ways that no one could; both of them were orphans who were forever cast under the shadow of their respective father figures. Starfire could never truly understand that. Tonight, Robin had even seen a side of Raven that no one had ever seen before.

As Robin reached his room, he groaned. His head hurt, and he still felt like an idiot for not being able to tell Raven he was developing feelings for her. _What would you say?_ _"Well, today I realized I was an idiot and never noticed you were actually an attractive girl before. I still have feelings for Starfire, but now I like you too." That would go over, _**really**_ well._

_I'll make it up to her tomorrow, somehow, _Robin decided.

He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. He stared at the ceiling, and groaned. "Women. Why do they have to be so complicated?"

Sleep was going to be a chore tonight.


	5. Chapter 5: An Early Morning Conversation

**A/N:** It seems my prediction was right, and that this particular chapter took much more time than I had anticipated. First, I got caught up in my classes, then I wrote and re-wrote this chapter multiple times. My first two attempts just didn't seem to fit the overall mood of my story; either it was boring and slow, or moving a little too fast. I'm relatively satisfied with how this turned out, and I hope you readers enjoy it as well. As always, I look forward to any criticism, comments, thoughts, or anything really.

**Disclaimer: I have not, nor ever will, own the Teen Titans or any of the DC Universe. I thank Warner Bros. and DC for letting me mess around in their world.**

**Chapter 5: An Early Morning Conversation**

Sleep was indeed a chore for Robin. Insomnia had been a blessing during his nights with Batman, but a curse when Robin actually needed sleep. As the first rays of morning light began to creep through his window, Robin decided that he'd tried to sleep long enough.

Everything seems more miserable in the middle of the night. Instead of being able to slip into the deep sleep necessary to recharge for the next day, nights spent tossing, turning, and staring at the ceiling were demoralizing at best, utterly depressing at worst. He never wanted to bother the others at obscene hours of the night, so he'd pace in his room, stare blankly at computer screens, or lay awake in bed, questioning every choice he'd ever made. _It's the loneliness that gets you_, he thought._ Little wonder Bruce doesn't have many real friends._

The nights he had spent awake in Gotham were never nearly as bad. Either he was out with Bruce, or Bruce was up. Bruce was _always_ up. He couldn't remember ever seeing the man sleep. Or Alfred, for that matter. It seemed both of them ran on infinite energy.

Robin remembered the nights he couldn't sleep as a child, where Alfred had come in with warm milk or cocoa, and would offer to read to the small boy. Or where Bruce had decided to show him all the cars in his garage until Robin had passed out. As he grew older, it was Robin who would tinker with the various vehicles with Bruce late into the evening. Robin grinned remembering how he and Bruce had built the first R-cycle from nothing but parts. No more sitting shotgun in the Batmobile after that day.

Robin smiled at the memories, swinging his legs over the bed and staring out the window at the rising sun. Perhaps he was feeling a little homesick, though he'd never admit it. He truly felt more at home here in Jump, but though he lived with all of his friends, the nights he spent awake were always much more lonely.

Robin yawned, stood, and stretched. He was exhausted, but since sleep wouldn't come, he decided that he'd get the next best thing: coffee.

Robin pulled on a pair of comfortable flannel pants and a faded grey Metallica t-shirt, forgoing his uniform for when the other members of the team would actually be awake. However, he did attach his domino mask. After his encounter with Raven, there was no way he was going to go out without his mask again; he was too paranoid to leave anything up to chance.

Quietly, Robin made his way out of his room, down the hallway, and into the kitchen. He snagged a clean mug out of the dishwasher and a fresh coffee filter from one of the cupboards. He started a pot of coffee, and opted to check the morning news while he waited.

He idly watched the various stories about politics, elections, and world news as his coffee brewed. Though it looked as if he was watching intently, Robin's mind was still occupied with thoughts of Gotham. _Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go back, just for a day or so,_ he thought. _I can get Bruce off my back and go see my parents… At least then it won't be hovering over my head…_

The coffee maker beeped, snapping Robin's thoughts back to the task at hand. He stood, walked to the machine, and poured the pot's steaming contents into his mug. He replaced the pot and returned to his spot on the couch, sipping warily at his drink. As a kid, he never touched the stuff, as he grew older, he only drank it with copious amounts of sugar and cream. Eventually, Robin followed in Bruce's footsteps and began to take his coffee black, at least for the first cup. The bitterness helped him focus and clear his head.

Robin's attention turned to the television, and he scoffed as an enthusiastic reporter began to blather on about a water-skiing ferret. _If that's not a slow news day, I don't know what is,_ he smirked.

Suddenly, Robin heard the sound of the door swishing open. He turned, curious to see who else could be up so early in the morning, when a familiar presence washed over him.

Raven had frozen in the doorway, obviously not expecting to find anyone up yet either. She looked confused, and a little unsure. As Robin looked her up and down, he realized why: she was not wearing her signature leotard and cloak, but rather a pinstriped pair of pajama pants and a tank top. Robin had never seen her wearing anything resembling normal clothes before, so he too was a little confused.

Her slight frame certainly looked more attractive when she was able to show off her legs, but Robin thought she looked rather cute with her hair slightly disheveled and her arms exposed instead of hiding beneath her robe. Her pale skin caught the early light, and she almost seemed to glow faintly. Robin caught himself staring at the exposed skin of her upper chest, his eyes tracing the faint lines of her cleavage. She actually had a rather nice body, now that he thought about it…

After about a minute of awkward silence had passed between them, Robin realized he had been staring, and cleared his throat. "Morning, Raven," he said, eyes fixed upon her wardrobe. "You look…nice."

"Robin," she nodded, trying to ignore his comment.

Robin watched her start the kettle and set out various tea components, doing her best to pretend she was the only one currently awake.

"Wanna take a picture? It'll last longer," Raven eventually said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Robin blushed slightly. "Sorry, I've just never seen you wear anything besides your normal outfit," he said. "It's different."

"So what?" Raven replied, her back still to him. "Clothes are clothes."

Robin shrugged. "I dunno. It's just not what I'm used to seeing. I didn't take you for a pinstripes kind of girl."

A small amount of color crept into Raven's cheeks, but her expression didn't change. She turned to face him, arms crossed. "These are pajamas. Did you really think I slept in my uniform?"

Robin laughed. "Yes, actually."

"Well I don't."

"Evidently so."

Raven shook her head and turned back to the kettle, staring at it intently.

"You know what they say about watched pots, right?" Robin called out, turning back to the TV.

"They also say coffee stunts your growth," she quipped back.

"Really? Maybe I should take a leaf out of your book, then. Do you think pinstripes would make me look taller?" Robin asked, abandoning the TV and focusing fully on his verbal repartee with the violet-eyed sorceress.

Raven spun around, her eyebrow raised in warning, yet a slight grin on her lips. "You might want to choose your next words carefully, Bird Brain, unless you want your wings clipped."

Robin shook his head, chuckling. "Oh man. I don't think you got enough bird analogies in there." He placed his coffee cup on the side table, stood, and began to clap slowly. "Bravo madam. Bravo. However, there is one teensy, tiny, miniscule little problem with your razor sharp insults."

"And what might that be?" Raven asked, her eyebrow still set and locked in the raised position.

"I'm not the only one with a bird theme, _Bird Brain_. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, hmm?"

Raven smiled, a rare occasion, and rolled her eyes. The kettle suddenly began to whistle, and she turned back to the stove to finish the last preparations for her tea. "I wouldn't consider that a victory, Boy Wonder," she called over her shoulder. "Just because we share the same species for inspiration doesn't mean they have anything in common."

Robin gasped dramatically, feigning shock and hurt. "Surely you don't mean to insult the noble robin?"

Raven finished with her teabag, and turned back to Robin, cup in hand. "Merely an observation at the vast differences in intelligences between the raven and the red-chested robin," she remarked.

"But one cannot deny the pride and courage of the robin in the face of danger," Robin retorted.

"True. However, acknowledging the differences in size, speed, and intelligence, we can assume that the raven would eat the robin for breakfast any day of the week," Raven said, a sly grin on her face.

Robin threw up his hands in defeat. "Quoth the Robin, Nevermore," he smiled, returning to the couch.

"You read Poe?" Raven asked, suddenly intrigued.

Robin shrugged. "A little. He's a little dark for my tastes, but Br-uh, Batman was pretty well read. He had a lot of the classics lying around."

_Jesus Christ, get a hold of yourself_, Robin chastised himself. _Just because you told her a bit about your past doesn't mean you can give away Bruce's identity! The hell is wrong with you, shit-for-brains?_

Raven hadn't seemed to notice, however, and was rather deep in thought.

"You can come and sit down, if you want," Robin said after watching her think for a couple seconds. "It couldn't kill you to socialize every once in a while, could it?"

He picked up his mug as Raven crossed her arms. "I'm social enough," she said.

"Sure you are, if you define shutting yourself away with your books socializing."

"Maybe I prefer the company of books to that of people."

"I think you're making excuses."

"I didn't realize you were a psychiatrist."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," Robin smirked, taking a gulp of his coffee.

He was pushing her buttons. She knew it. He knew it. And yet, she didn't leave. Secretly, Robin was glad. He enjoyed their banter. Raven was smart. Incredibly smart. Robin was able to have conversations with Raven; actual conversations instead of polite small talk. As an added bonus, he didn't have to spend twenty minutes explaining a witty remark.

Raven cautiously made her way over to the couch and sat on the far side opposite Robin, cradling her cup. Robin smirked and shook his head as she settled and returned his gaze. "What?" she asked.

"You'd think I was Plasmus with the way you're sitting so far away from me. Do I stink, or something?" Robin joked.

Raven sniffed, but didn't move, ignoring his comment. "So you read Poe?"

Robin nodded. "Sometimes. I particularly enjoyed the Tell Tale Heart, but, like I said, Poe's a little dark for me. I prefer older tales and legends; stories like the Odyssey, King Arthur, and Robin Hood."

Raven gave Robin a look, and Robin rolled his eyes. "Yes, that was part of the inspiration for my name. But that's not the point. My point was, you aren't the only bookworm in this tower. I've always enjoyed reading too. When you're part of a traveling circus as a kid, there's a lot of time on the road with not a whole lot to do. I tended to find myself reading whatever I could get my hands on whenever the opportunity presented itself."

"So you guys just traveled from town to town like gypsies?" Raven asked.

Robin sighed. "Romani, not Gypsy. A common misconception was that the Romani people were from Egypt, and eventually the name stuck."

Raven's eyebrow rose playfully. "So you're secretly a gypsy. Do your bird-a-rangs carry ancient gypsy curses?"

"Har-dee-har-har. Laugh it up, Chakra girl."

"Is there something wrong with my Chakra?"

"Nothing, except that it's probably cursed with ancient Romani voodoo."

"Voodoo? Now you're getting your hokey magics mixed up."

"Forgive me, I almost forgot you were the master of all things occult, O Dark and Scary One."

"Do you want to find out how dark and scary I can be?"

"I already was trapped in your meditation circle once, wasn't I? Isn't that torture enough?"

"That's it, Azarath Metrion Zinth-mmph!"

A pillow muffled the rest of Raven's words, thrown by a laughing Robin. When he saw her glare, however, his laughter died and he leapt behind the couch as three pillows rose seemingly of their own accord and soared towards his head at an incredible speed.

"You're going to regret that, Robin," Raven said, her voice imbued with power.

Robin peeked over the couch. "Is it too late to surrender?" Robin asked meekly.

Raven's eyes flashed white and two of the pillows smacked Robin on either side of his head, knocking him over. She laughed, settling back down on the couch.

Robin pulled the pillows off, and looked up at her, a soft smile on his face. "Now there's a sound I don't think I've ever heard before," he said.

"Don't get used to it," Raven replied, closing her eyes to reassert control over her powers.

Robin stood, downed the rest of his coffee, and strode back to the kitchen for another cup. Though he might have been lacking in sleep, his mood was certainly no worse for wear, and he had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the girl in the pinstripe pajama pants.

He glanced over at her again, finding it harder and harder to look away. She looked so serene, so peaceful, so calm with her eyes closed and her shoulders relaxed. Watching Raven meditate was more calming than a breath of cold mountain air or a sunset over the ocean. Robin didn't really care if she knew he was staring. He was simply content watching her relax.

Robin returned to the couch and sat down across from Raven just as she opened her eyes. She looked at him for a moment, a soft smile encasing her lips, then it faded. She stood, grasping her cup of tea in her hands.

"Leaving so soon?" Robin asked.

Raven nodded. "Thanks for the early morning conversation," she said.

Robin smiled. "Anytime."

Robin watched her walk to the door, his gut urging him to say something, but his brain couldn't seem to formulate the words. Just as she reached the door, Robin called out to her.

"Raven?"

"Hmm?"

"I know it doesn't clash well with your loner Goth thing, but you should laugh more. You have a beautiful laugh."

Raven paused. "I'll keep that in mind," she said, then walked into the hallway…

* * *

Raven sat upon her bed, her eyes fixed upon the book she held in her hands. Though she had read and reread the page before her multiple times, she failed to comprehend what the words were actually saying. Her tea had gone cold from neglect, and she hadn't turned a page in ten minutes. Suffice it to say, the young Titan's thoughts were far from the novel in her hands. Instead, Raven's thoughts centered on a dark-haired, charismatic, masked boy and the encounter she had with him not long ago.

Last night, Raven had slept, though it was fitful slumber. She had awoken multiple times during the night, any miniscule sound tearing her from her rest. Eventually, as dawn's light crept into her room, she abandoned sleep and decided to relax with a cup of tea.

Too tired to focus properly, and having neglected morning meditation, Raven hadn't sensed Robin in the living room until she had opened the door and seen him looking back at her over the couch. Immediately, she had felt ridiculous, having left her pajamas on. Not that there was anything wrong with them, she just preferred to leave her room fully clothed in her regular attire. His compliment sounded confused, so she had ignored it, but as they talked, a sudden pressure seemed to swell from within her chest due to it.

She realized she knew very little about him, despite what he had told her about his past, and the playful banter was an enjoyable way of finding out more about him. In fact, when she had retaliated against his pillow attack, she had felt truly…happy. Enough so to laugh. Aloud. Raven had let an emotion get free, and though she had quickly put it back under control, there had been no negative repercussions. He had called her laugh beautiful, instead of suddenly exploding. Perhaps that was the most troubling thought that plagued the young empath's mind; not that she had been happy around him, nor that she felt an odd swelling coupled with a longing ache when she thought of him, nor even that despite his kind words, she knew he only thought of her as a friend, but that the emotions that had been the cause of nothing but trouble in the past seemed not to set her powers out of control.

Realizing she had been staring at the book for quite some time without actually reading, Raven sighed and set her book upon her bedside table. She closed her eyes, settling into the Lotus position. After a few minutes of silence and relaxation, Raven attempted to deduce the reasons behind the lack of response her powers had to the emotion she had felt. Reaching out with her mind, Raven summoned her hand mirror to her side, deciding a trip to Nevermore was in order.

Raven breathed deeply, focused, and willed her soul-self through the mirror, emerging in the amphitheater where she had left. Logic looked up at her as she materialized, scattered notes surrounding the crumbling stone she sat upon. Logic nodded at Raven, then turned back to her notes, mumbling quietly.

"Are you as confused as I am, Logic?" Raven asked, chuckling slightly at the absurdity of the question.

"Quite," came Logic's clipped reply. She pushed her glasses up on her nose, and lowered her hood as Raven sat next to her. "There are multiple theories for this phenomenon, each less logical than the last."

"Why don't we start with the most probable, then," Raven nodded, picking up one of the scattered notebook pages Logic had been scribbling on.

Logic nodded, took a deep breath, and spoke, "Ever since the defeat of Trigon, it has seemed that your emotions have been easier to keep under control as a whole. Response times between emotional triggers and meditative calm have been up by 46.3%. Without Trigon's influence threatening to spill out, the demonic side has less of a grip upon the powers you control, making it tougher for you to actually lose control. Thus, you could be able to feel more before things get out of hand."

Raven nodded. It made sense. Without Trigon hanging over her head, threatening to use her powers as an outlet, the feelings the followers of Azar had trained her to block out were less dangerous.

"However, it could also have something to do with the bond between you and Robin," Logic continued, "As the bond grows in power, it is feasible that excess emotion is absorbed or reflected through him, allowing you to experience more of an emotion before control is lost."

Raven wasn't sure what to make of Logic's second hypothesis. Sure, it made sense, but did she really have to rely on Robin any time she wanted to feel? Would he want to help? Would she even want to feel?

Logic began to twiddle her thumbs nervously as she continued, "Nevertheless, it could have nothing to do with either hypothesis, or it could be a combination of the two. Or it could be due to something else. Or it could be a combination of one of the hypotheses and something else. Or-"

"Thank you, Logic. You've helped a lot," Raven interrupted, placing a hand upon Logic's shoulder.

Logic inclined her head as if to bow, swallowed nervously, and glanced at Raven.

"Perhaps…" she began, unsure of herself.

"Perhaps?" Raven echoed.

"Perhaps, these hypotheses require experimentation?" she offered, shying away as if she was a toddler caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Have you been speaking to Lust lately?" she accused.

Logic blushed. "Sometimes it's hard to ignore her. She makes some good points. I mean, logically, why would Robin compliment your laugh if he didn't…"

Logic's sentence trailed off as Raven's look took on a more threatening tone. Raven pursed her lips. "Lust is just attracted to him physically, and is looking for any excuse to indulge," she said matter-of-factly.

"Don't you mean you're attracted to him physically?" Logic asked.

Raven glared at Logic, stood, and turned away. "Thank you for your assistance, Logic," she said dryly, then closed her eyes and focused on returning her soul self to her physical shell.

Raven's eyes shot open as her soul returned to her body. She gasped for air for a second, then, realizing where she was, breathed deeply and relaxed. Logic had given her much to think about. Unfortunately for Raven, she wasn't able to reflect upon Logic's hypotheses, as a loud knocking drew her from her meditation.

"Friend Raven, are you awake?" Starfire's voice called from behind the door. Raven sighed, stood, and walked to the door. Raven opened the door just enough to peek warily into the hall.

Starfire hovered a nearly a foot off of the ground, a gigantic smile plastered across her face. "Good morning, dearest friend!" Starfire exclaimed, her sing-songy voice grating upon Raven's ears.

"Good morning, Starfire," Raven replied, her voice dead and cold compared to Starfire's energetic greeting.

"Are you ready to journey to the mall of shopping?" Starfire asked.

Raven blinked. "What?"

"Do you not remember? You had promised to journey with me to the mall of shopping today so that we may partake in a 'girl's day out.' Does this ring the bells?"

Raven mentally smacked herself. She vaguely remembered promising Starfire she'd accompany her to the mall today if Starfire left her alone earlier in the week. _Why did I agree to this? _

"Star, I…I'm not really in the mood to…" Raven began, but as she saw the crestfallen look upon Starfire's face, she sighed. "Fine. Give me time to shower and change."

"Oh wonderful joy! Thank you, friend Raven!" Starfire sang, her face lighting up like a tree at Christmas.

Raven shut her door, walked to the bathroom, turned on her shower, and stared at her reflection in her bathroom mirror. _What did I just get myself into?_


	6. Chapter 6: Jealousy

**A/N: **I apologize for the incredibly long update time. I had tried to sit down and write this chapter multiple times, but I was never quite satisfied with it and never quite liked where it ended up. Writers block set in, and I pushed this story to the back of my mind. Only recently did I come up with a different direction to take this, and I know it's a short chapter, but I intend the next chapters to be much meatier. Thanks to those who did review, and thanks to those who continue to read, despite the incredibly long wait! Read on.

**Disclaimer: I never have, nor ever will own the Teen Titans or any of the characters in the DC Universe. I thank Warner Bros. and DC for letting me mess around in their world.**

**Chapter 6: Jealousy**

Raven hated the mall. If the crowds, constant noise, and cacophony of lights, sounds, and smells weren't bad enough, she was having trouble blocking out the constant stream of emotions from all the shoppers around her. It was not fun to be an empath in a crowd.

To top it all off, Starfire was having a grand time, flitting from shop to shop, blathering on about anything and everything she saw, smelled, or heard. Her cheerfulness only annoyed Raven further, something Starfire seemed not to notice. Thankfully, Raven had reminded Starfire of the last time they had gone to the mall, a disaster she did not want to repeat.

It all started when Starfire had saw an advertisement mentioning a 'girl's night out.' From that point on, she had become obsessed with the idea, hounding Raven relentlessly, until Raven finally caved and went to the mall with Starfire for her 'girl's night out.' In Raven's haste to get the evening over with, she had hurried Starfire out the door without remembering to change into less conspicuous clothing.

It was a disaster. From the moment the Titan women entered the mall, they were unable to get a single moment of peace. Whether it was children asking for autographs, slimy men hitting on them, or merely the entire populace staring at them, the two girls were pestered by anyone and everyone within a mile radius. Sometimes, it was a pain to be known by an entire city. Starfire hadn't helped either, insisting upon yelling to everyone who could hear that they were 'girls who were going out for the night.' The tabloids had a field day with that one.

This time, Raven and Starfire were wearing civilian clothes, Raven in black jeans and a navy hoody, Starfire in a pink t-shirt and jean skirt, trying to keep a lower profile. At least, Raven was. Starfire would occasionally glide a few inches off the floor, drawing stares from passersby, and causing Raven to tug her back down with a livid glare.

_I'm not doing this again,_ Raven thought, sharply tugging the taller alien female to the ground for the umpteenth time today. _No matter what Starfire says, or does, or how she cries, or moans, or begs, or pleads; I am not doing this again. Never, ever again._

"Star, you really need to try to keep a lower profile," Raven hissed. "You remember what happened last ti-"

Raven's reprimand was drowned out by Starfire's ear-splitting shriek as she spied a store with expensive looking dresses in the window. Raven sighed, following her inside.

The clerk hardly glanced at the pair as they entered; the shop was prone to window shoppers and, judging by the price tags, only those with extremely deep pockets would actually be customers.

While Starfire poured over the lavish dresses made of exquisite materials, Raven idly perused the aisles, waiting for Starfire to be done. In Starfire's eyes, the dresses were elegant, refined, beautiful, and pristine. To Raven, they were gaudy, overpriced, unnecessary, and inefficient. They were so fragile and useless, like dolls made of china.

Raven sniffed loudly as she passed a particularly frilly dress when her eyes fell upon a simple, yet sophisticated dress of royal purple. Perhaps it was the similarity to her own eyes/hair, but the color of the dress drew Raven towards it. She examined it closer, noting the fact it lacked a back, seemed to fit rather tightly, and extended just above her knees.

She held it up for a second, trying to imagine herself in the dress. This was a harder task than Raven had thought, and it dawned slowly upon her that she was being ridiculous. The dress was meant to be simple, yet seductive. To show off a body that she did not have. Shaking her head, she placed it back upon the rack and turned around, only to find Starfire standing behind her.

"Ooh! That is a lovely dress, friend Raven! The color is much like that of your own eyes!" Starfire said with a smile. Raven shrugged in response. Starfire didn't notice, holding up a sleek red dress that reminded Raven of a ridiculous movie Beast Boy and Cyborg had been watching, involving a cartoon singing girl who was oddly married to some sort of blubbering rabbit.

Raven's eyebrows rose as she eyed the dress. It was definitely not a simple cocktail dress but a gaudy, slinky thing that was for...well, intimate cocktail parties. "What do you think of this dress, Friend Raven?"

"Well, Starfire, it's…uh…" Raven stammered.

Starfire pursed her lips in thought. "The color is most enticing, but I'm not sure…do you think Robin might like it?" she asked.

With those words, a sharp, icy pain stabbed Raven in the gut. Of course she wanted the dress to win Robin over. Starfire had the body to pull off a dress like that. With a dress like that, any guy would be drooling over her. She would have Robin eating out of the palm of her hand, and no matter what she did, Raven would never even get a second glance.

_You keep entertaining this idea that Robin cares about you, but the truth is he doesn't care, _she told herself. _He won't ever care. He never even saw you until you nearly saved the world. All the additional attention is only a side effect of the bond you created with him. A bond he didn't want. A bond you can't control. He doesn't want you. He'll never want you. And no matter what you do, no matter what you say, no matter how you try, he'll never see you as anything more than a friend._

"Raven? Hello?"

Starfire was looking at Raven with a puzzled expression, waving her hand in front of Raven's face. Snapping back to reality, Raven realized she had been glaring straight ahead past Starfire at a rack of dresses that was slowly bending in half. Her fist was clenched so tightly that her nails were beginning to draw blood from her palm, and a number of dresses had begun to rise of their own accord. Surprisingly, the clerk was still absorbed in the magazine she was reading, and was unaware of the events occurring. Regaining control of her powers, and her rampant emotions, Raven shook her head slightly, murmured an apology, turned, and strode out of the store, leaving the dresses to fall softly to the floor.

The rest of the trip to the mall was quiet. Starfire didn't buy the slinky red dress, but did purchase numerous bags worth of trinkets and clothing items. Raven was silent the rest of the trip, only grunting in response to Starfire's attempts at conversation.

By the time the two returned home, it was just getting dark. Raven immediately retired to her room, slipping through a portal she created in the wall as to avoid the tower's other inhabitants.

Upon entering her room, Raven immediately keyed the lock to her door and stripped out of her civilian clothes, pulling on a more comfortable leotard and cloak before settling into the lotus position. She had lost control today, a rookie mistake that could have hurt someone. That was unacceptable.

Her eyes wandered to the two sets of candles, still in circles from where Robin and her had sat the night before. An icy cold slipped into her stomach again, and she felt like she would be sick.

Raven screwed her eyes shut, trying to block out the world around her.

_Focus_.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

_Again_.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

_Calm. Peace. Serenity. There is no passion. There is no jealousy. There is no anger. There is no __**way**__ he deserved someone as airheaded as that girl. She didn't even know about his parents!_

Raven gritted her teeth angrily.

_Goddammit, keep it under control. Focus!_

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

_Again_.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

**_Again._**

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

_Calm…peace…serenity…good. Now let it go. Her comment did not matter. He does not matter. Focus. Calm…peace…serenity…he does not…he doesn't…he…he __**does**__ matter!_

Raven let out a frustrated roar, sending the candles flying across the room.

_Why the fuck can't I get it together tonight?! Why is he so damn important?! Why is __**she**__ so damn important?! Why can't I just forget about him?!_

Raven tried to settle down multiple times, but was unable to focus properly, each failure adding to her already building frustration. Breathing heavily, Raven glanced around the room until she saw her hand mirror. Hoping that a quick trip to Nevermore could help her forget about the real world, she summoned it to her hand.

Focusing upon the miror, Raven began the incantation. "Azarath, Metrion, Zin-"

A loud knock sounded upon Raven's door, breaking her concentration. The portal to Nevermore flickered in the mirror's reflection as Raven glared at the door.

_You have got to be kidding me_, she thought, sensing the person behind the door.

Setting her jaw, Raven stood up, strode to the door, unlocked it, and opened it forcefully, causing the masked boy behind it to jump slightly.

"What?" Raven snarled.

Robin's playful expression quickly fell from his face. "I'm guessing this is a bad time," he said.

Raven only glared in response.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"What do you want?"

"Well, uh, it's about 7 and I thought we might have another meditation lesson, but…"

Raven shook her head. "Tonight isn't a good night."

"What's wrong?"

"Don't. Just…go."

"Raven-"

Raven moved to shut the door in Robin's face, but he quickly moved his foot to block the door.

"Raven. What's wrong?" he asked again, masked eyes searching her unresponsive face.

"Move your foot."

"_Raven_. I…I felt your frustration. I _felt_ it."

"Move. Your. _Foot_."

"Raven, please. Let me in. Maybe I can help-"

A sudden force shoved Robin back into the wall with a loud thud. Robin glared up at Raven's outstretched arm, a faint outline of black tracing her hands. Raven stared blankly ahead for a moment, then seemed to realize what she had done. A look of horror crossed her face as she examined her hand in disbelief, then Raven turned, intending to flee back to her room.

In one swift movement, Robin leapt up and forced the door open. He pushed past Raven into her room, shutting the door behind him. He hit a couple buttons on the keypad, and it beeped in confirmation. Raven had only seen Robin input the override codes in emergencies; no one was going to get in or out of Raven's room unless he said so.

Raven braced herself, expecting a fight, but as Robin turned to face her, she didn't see a glare of rage, but a soft sympathetic stare. Though his eyes were masked, Raven felt Robin's stare go right through her. She felt vulnerable. Exposed. Like there was nothing she could possibly hide from him. He never said a word, he just stared and waited for her to speak.

That stare nearly broke her.

"Robin, please. Just leave me alone," she said.

"No."

"Robin-"

"No. I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong. I know it's hard for you, but you don't have to just keep all of it pent up inside."

Raven sighed. "Look, I just need to meditate."

"Then I'll meditate with you."

Raven glared at him, and he stared back. When she finally realized he wouldn't back down, she exhaled slowly. "Fine. Just…give me a couple seconds."

Robin nodded, turned, and began to pick up the candles and set them in two circles, like before.

Raven walked into her bathroom, shut the door, and slumped down against it. _Relax, dammit,_ she thought, gritting her teeth. _You need to get ahold of yourself._

Warilly, Raven stood and made her way over to the mirror. She stared at her reflection for several minutes, gripping the sink in a way that would make rigor mortis look weak. She took deep breaths, willing her wild emotions back to their respective pens.

She turned on the sink, splashed some water on her face, and sighed.

_Alright. You can do this. Just relax, meditate, and ignore him,_ she thought as she grabbed a towel. _If he felt your anger, you're way out of line. Just relax, and let your emotions go._

Raven paused with a hand on the bathroom doorknob. _Easier said than done._

As Raven exited her bathroom, she was greeted by dimmed lights, flickering candles, and…no Robin. Where did he go? Why would he leave?

Confused, Raven looked at her door. It was still locked. So where was he?

A feeling of intense dread sank into Raven's stomach. She turned, slowly, hoping that her sudden realization was untrue.

Raven's hand mirror had moved from where she had put it last, and it glowed faintly around the edges.

"Shit."


	7. Chapter 7: Resignation

**A/N:** Holy crap. After that last chapter, my inbox blew up with reviews and followers/favorites. Thank you all so much; it's quite humbling to have such avid readers. Thanks to you guys, I was inspired to sit down and finish this next chapter a little earlier than I had anticipated. As always, I look forward to seeing the responses. You guys rock. Read on, awesome supporters!

Also, yes, as one reviewer pointed out, the dress I had Starfire look at was similar to Jessica Rabbit's from Roger Rabbit. As you know, I'm a RobRae fan, but Starfire in a dress like that would be pretty hard to resist. Just sayin'.

**Disclaimer: I never have, nor ever will own the Teen Titans or any of the characters in the DC Universe. I thank Warner Bros. and DC for letting me mess around in their world.**

**Chapter 7: Resignation**

Darkness. All surrounding, all encompassing, all engulfing darkness. There was no start. There was no end. There merely was.

_Focus_.

Years of training, conditioning, practicing, and testing kicked in. Step one: Asses your condition.

Pain. Throbbing pain. A headache. Perhaps a concussion? Darkness. Blindness? Only one way to find out.

Robin opened his eyes slowly, fighting his heavy eyelids. He swallowed, his throat dry. He tasted gravel, not blood. A good sign. The darkness was lessened now, and though his vision was blurry, Robin was not blind. Gingerly, he inspected his head. No lumps or cuts. So it wasn't an attack.

He was lying face down on the ground, as if he had fallen, though he was unsure as to how he got into that position. Or where he was.

_One step at a time. On your feet._

Robin pushed himself to his feet, where he stood, warily, trying to get his thoughts in check.

Step two: Asses your surroundings.

_Where…am I?_

A good question. This place was not the tower, of that he was certain. He stood upon a stony path, almost like a cliff-face, but without the cliff. In fact, he wasn't sure how the path was there, as it floated in the all-encompassing blackness surrounding him. Ahead, the path emptied into some sort of amphitheater, behind, an endless abyss. In the distance were other floating platforms, similarly suspended in midair.

Wherever this was, it didn't adhere to Earth's laws of physics.

Step three: Remember.

_How did I get here?_

Robin searched his memories. It was…difficult. His head felt hazy, his thoughts harder to come by. It would be so much easier to go back to sleep. To stare into the abyss…to be lost in the simple…

_Focus. How did you get here?_

Robin could almost hear Bruce's voice yelling at him. He shook his head, attempting to clear the mist.

The earliest thing he could remember was…frustration; something that had taken him completely off guard. It was a force of pure anger and irritation on a base level. At that moment, Robin had nearly punched a hole in the wall when just seconds earlier he had been intently studying police reports.

There was only one explanation for the sudden emotion change: Raven.

_Raven!_

Panic. Where was she? Was she hurt? What had happened?

_Focus, dammit. Remember how you got here first, __**then**__ worry about her. Breathe in, deeply, like she taught you. Hold it. Exhale. Repeat. Calm._

He had gone to her room, knowing full well she wouldn't want to talk to him, or anyone. But he had felt her anger. He had to help. He couldn't ignore it.

She went to the bathroom. He arranged the candles. He waited. She didn't come out. He sat on her bed. She came out. She…kissed him? No. No, no, that's not what happened. The mist was making it hard to remember.

Robin shook his head.

She went to the bathroom. He arranged the candles. He waited. She didn't come out. He knocked on the door… It…opened. She lay there, cold, dark, serene, and pale. Her throat was slit, her dark red blood staining the tile…No!

The mist kept conjuring images of events that did not happen. Or…did they? He didn't think so…Maybe it would be easier to think if he just rested for a couple minutes…

_Don't give in. When you give in, you've lost. You'll be dead._

Robin screwed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth.

She went to the bathroom. He arranged the candles. He waited. She didn't come out. He sat on her bed. She was taking a while, but he would wait. He was going to help her. As he sat on the bed, he noticed a mirror lying facedown next to him. It seemed to…glow slightly. He picked it up. The glow was coming from the area where his reflection should be. It was…inviting. Enticing. He leaned in, and it flashed brightly, blinding him. Then…darkness…

The mirror. The mirror must have had something to do with this. It was some sort of portal.

"Great," Robin sighed, "Just what I needed. Raven's always been strict about people coming into her room and messing with her things. I think I just found out why. She's gonna be pissed…"

Step four: Threat assessment.

It seemed he was alone here. There was little that could harm him, save this damn headache.

Step five: Retaliation.

Fighting the ever-present desire to collapse, Robin decided to explore this dream-like world. He pressed forward, following the narrow path as it twisted and turned, opening into the amphitheater.

As he drew closer he saw a figure sitting upon the stone steps, a yellow cloak outlining her feminine frame. Scattered pieces of paper surrounded her, and she was muttering to herself animatedly. The hood of her cloak was up, but it looked strikingly familiar…

The sounds of his footsteps crunching on the gravel alerted the figure to his presence, but she did not look up. Instead, her muttering shifted outwards, increasing in volume.

"There simply isn't enough data to come to a viable conclusion. Rationally, one can assume that the bond is creating problems on both ends, and the actions of the extraterrestrial were enough to send Jealousy into override. It's been a mess; she's out of control. First, we must work on damage assessment and containment, then we can determine the cause," the figure said, spewing the words without taking a moment to catch her breath.

Though it was unlike how she usually spoke, Robin knew that voice anywhere. Gingerly, he stepped forward, raising his hand towards her tentatively. "Raven?"

The figure raised her head, revealing Raven's face staring back at him. She wore thin librarian's glasses, and looked rather unkempt, as if she had been intent on ripping her hair out moments before.

As Raven realized Robin stood before him, the color drained from her face. "Y-you. You should not be here."

Robin smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I picked up your mirror. I guess I learned my lesson the hard way; I promise I won't touch your stuff again,"

Raven backed away from him, shaking out of fear. "No, no, no, no, no, this is highly illogical. This is nigh impossible. The mental barrier should have reduced your mind to nothing…oh God. She's gonna be so mad."

Robin stepped towards her, confused. "Who's gonna be mad? What's going on? Where exactly are we? And what's with the glasses? Not that I mind, of course, I've just never seen you wear them before."

Raven looked at Robin like he was crazy. "You…you must leave. You cannot be here."

"Raven, just tell me what's going on. This place is weird, and cold, and I feel like I haven't slept in weeks."

Raven's eyes widened. "Y-you can feel cold? That means you're here physically… You must leave. Now. This place is not meant for-"

Suddenly, a green-cloaked figure flew into the amphitheater and landed right in front of Raven, interrupting her mid-sentence. With her back to Robin and her voice echoing off the walls, it was obvious this person was not in a good mood.

"Where is she, Logic? I've got a few words for our _dear creator_. You're her favorite construct, and I felt the energies change. I know she's here! **Where is she?!**"

Strangely enough, the figure looked exactly like the Raven in front of him, only clad in green. Her voice was the same too. What the hell was going on here?

"Uh, now may not be the best time, Jealousy…" Raven replied, her voice jittery and unsure.

"Oh, don't you give me that. Just because she talks to you the most, you think you're so special. What do you know? You can't even reason your way out of a shoebox!"

Robin took a step back, his foot crunching the gravel behind him audibly. Uh-oh.

The figure whirled around, revealing another Raven, her face full of rage.

Robin's eyes flew open, and he stumbled backwards in surprise. The second Raven seemed to be surprised as well, but she was not speechless for long.

"_You_! Just the boy I wanted to see. What the hell is wrong with you?! What the hell is so goddamn special about her? What has that red-headed bitch got that I haven't got? You like taller girls? Is that it?"

The green-cloaked Raven advanced on Robin menacingly, and Robin backtracked at the same pace. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on? Raven? What are you talking about?"

"Like you don't know!" she screamed, clenching her fist.

The yellow cloaked Raven stood, swallowed, and moved forward. "Erm, Robin. I am not Raven. Neither is she. We are both constructs of her mind. I am Logic, and this is…Jealousy."

Jealousy turned back and glared at Logic. "I think I'm capable of introducing myself, thanks," she spat venomously.

Logic ignored her. "You must leave, Robin. This world is not meant for you, nor your physical form."

Robin's head hurt. There were two Ravens, he was in some kind of alternate dimension, and one hated him. The mist was returning, and all he wanted to do was close his eyes and wait for life to make sense again.

Logic noticed Robin's eyelids flutter, and decisively walked forward, pushing Jealousy out of the way. She soundly slapped Robin across the face, jolting him awake. "Hey! What was that for?"

"You must not fall asleep," she stated, as if that were all the reason in the world.

"Hey! I'm the one who's angry! I should get to slap him!" Jealousy pouted.

Robin noticed at that point that the amphitheater had begun filling with more Ravens; evidently the noise had drawn them. They all looked exactly like Raven, though they were clad in different colors and some had modified her wardrobe slightly.

A Raven in a dark red cloak glided forwards, and Robin felt a chill of fear run up his spine. Four red eyes glared down at him, eyes he hadn't seen since…Trigon.

Without thinking, Robin fell into a combat stance, ready to fight the monster that he thought they had defeated.

The red-cloaked Raven, bristled at this. "You do not belong here," she snarled through gritted teeth.

"That makes two of us. I thought we beat you, Trigon."

She laughed, cold and cruel. "You did. I am merely what remains," she said.

Robin looked at her, confused, when Logic interrupted. "Anger? I told him he should leave. Then Jealousy came, and-"

"Typical, sell me out, you ass-kissing bitch," Jealousy called out, crossing her arms.

Anger ignored both of them. "You are trespassing. Get out."

"But he just got here, does he really have to leave so soon?" A smooth, silky voice called out from the crowd. Robin's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets as a Raven in a light-red robe strolled towards him, a hunger in her eyes.

Robin felt a stirring down below as he looked at this construct, her leotard torn, exposing her pale skin and ample cleavage. As he stared, she laughed. "Like what you see?" she whispered huskily, causing a different kind of chill to run up Robin's spine. "Don't you want to stay with me awhile? I'll treat you better than they ever could…"

Anger rounded on the intruder, stepping between the two of them. "Lust, get back. Now."

Lust's seductive features turned sour as she glared at Anger, but before she could retort, Jealousy stepped forward and slapped Lust. "I saw him first, slut!"

As the three began to struggle, Logic kept shouting over the din, trying to restore order to no avail. It was pandemonium. All across the amphitheater, constructs began to bicker and argue. In the commotion, a fifth figure descended from the crowd, her light pink cloak almost shimmering as she walked.

Lightly, she tapped Robin on the shoulder, her soft smile tugging on Robin's heartstrings. "Robin, you need to leave. If you don't, things will only get worse."

Robin shook his head."They're fighting. I can't just leave them like this. It's my fault."

The construct shook her head. "They would be fighting regardless of your presence. You are in terrible danger here. You have to go."

Finally, Robin sighed and nodded. "But how do I leave?" he asked.

"I'll bring you back closer to the entry point. Hopefully you can find your way out from there," she replied, her soft smile still present upon her face.

"Thank you, er, what do I call you?"

The construct's smile grew bigger and she tried to hide a light chuckle. "Don't you worry about that. I suspect we'll see more of each other soon. Besides, I'm pretty sure you're a detective. You'll figure it out."

With that, she took his hand, and guided him out of the arena. They had only taken a few steps towards away when a booming voice echoed across the plane, seemingly inside Robin's own head.

"**SILENCE**."

Immediately, the constructs fell silent and bowed their heads. Raven descended from above, directly into the middle of the amphitheater. She scanned the crowd, then turned and addressed Logic coldly. "Where?"

The light pink robed figure cleared her throat, and gave Robin a light push forward.

Raven's stone visage flickered into one of dread for less than a second, then it disappeared. Raven nodded towards the construct in thanks, and stepped forward. Wordlessly, she took Robin's hand and closed her eyes.

Robin's whole body tingled, then a wave of darkness crashed over him.

* * *

Robin awoke on Raven's bed, slowly opening his eyes to stare into Raven's own. Her face was perched over his, watching him intently. She was only centimeters away, and he had to resist the urge to reach up and touch her.

"R-Raven?"

She breathed a sigh of relief as he spoke, then she slapped him across the face.

Crying out in surprise, Robin tried to sit up and scoot away from her. Immediately, his head exploded in pain, and he fell back upon the bed, writhing in agony. She sat and watched him, her jawline set in a mask of contempt.

Eventually, as the pain subsided, Robin chanced raising his head to look at her.

"What the hell is it with you and slapping me?"

Raven glared at him. "That mirror is a portal to another plane; an astral projection of my mind. You were rooting around in my head. You shouldn't have been there."

"Well I guess that makes us even," Robin glared back.

Raven shook her head. "You don't understand. You _shouldn't_ have been there. Your physical body was in Nevermore. It is designed for only the mind to enter. I had to modify it after Beast Boy and Cyborg stumbled in a long time ago. Besides, the barrier is not something for those who are untrained to pass through. It should have driven you insane."

"Well that's reassuring," Robin said.

"I'm not convinced you aren't insane."

"Really? Because I'm pretty convinced you are. I've heard of schizophrenia, but that was ridiculous."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "They are all constructs embodying one specific emotion. They become easier to deal with when I can separate them, not that I'd expect you to understand."

Robin sighed. "Raven, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to invade your head. I shouldn't have touched your mirror."

Raven nodded at the apology, but her glare did not waver. "Well now you know why you shouldn't touch anything in my room without asking me first."

Robin nodded his head, thinking about the experience. After a moment, he gathered his courage, and spoke.

"Raven? One of them, Jealousy I think, said something about-"

"You need to sleep," Raven interrupted suddenly, moving over to the bed to stand next to him. "Your mind has undergone severe trauma and it must rest."

"But-"

"**_Rest_**," Raven whispered, imbuing her voice with a bit of power. She placed her hand on Robin's forehead, covering his eyes. Instantly, he was asleep, as his mind was too weak to resist her influence.

Raven stared at Robin for a minute, then strode over to the mirror and concentrated on it.

Soon, she was back in Nevermore, her constructs still standing silently where they were before.

"Logic, status report," she called out.

Logic stepped forward. "Emotions are 87.9% back in control," she said. Jealousy snorted loudly from the crowd, earning a dangerous glare from Raven.

"Damage suffered to our psyche is minimal, damage suffered to his psyche also minimal. The intruder has a very strong will, and was able to resist letting his mind float away. Also, I suspect the bond shielded both him, and his mind, from the worst of the barrier's defenses. It seems the bond opened the portal, and he was unable to avoid being sucked inside."

Raven nodded, and motioned for Love, Lust, Anger, and Jealousy to come forward.

"Logic, Love, Anger, thank you for trying to get Robin to leave. As you can see, he has a stubbornness that makes Jealousy look manageable."

Jealousy snarled at this, but Raven ignored her.

"However, you should not have interacted with him at all. Lust, Jealousy, your actions are inexcusable."

Silence filled the amphitheater while Lust and Jealousy glared at Raven. Raven's glare melted away, and she hung her head. "Jealousy, we have to let go. I know it is frustrating that we cannot have him, and that he is too thickheaded to see what is happening. But the truth is that he doesn't have feelings for us. So our feelings are unjustified."

Jealousy's face fell, and she began to have a tantrum. "But why?! Why aren't we good enough? We're more than good enough!"

As Jealousy blubbered, Logic put an arm around her, and guided her off into the crowd, trying to soothe her.

Raven turned to Lust. "He doesn't want us. So keep your desires where they belong, in fantasy."

Lust nodded, knowing now was not the time to argue.

Love stepped forward. "Dear creator, I disagree. If he did not care, why did he fight so hard to stop the fighting? Why did he care so much that he didn't give in?"

Raven's sad smile regarded Love as if she were a child. "Wishful thinking, Love," she said.

Raven turned and left, returning to the physical world.

* * *

As she regained consciousness, Raven felt a tear roll from her eye.

She stood, walked over to Robin's sleeping form, and gingerly placed a kiss upon his forehead.

She took a deep breath, and exhaled.

That was the last time she would ever allow herself to have feelings for him.

She reached inside herself, and locked those feelings away, deep inside.

Time to face reality.

_Time to move on._


	8. Chapter 8: Breaking Point

**A/N: **Dear readers, I am sorry. It has been about 6 months since I've posted anything. I won't sit here and prattle off a list of excuses, but I truly apologize. I lost all motivation to complete this fic, though it tended to cross my mind from time to time. I became disenfranchised, convinced this was but a foolish idea.

Then I booted up my email and looked at all the reviews. There was a lot of feedback, most of it praising me for writing this. I was humbled. I'm certainly no writer by profession, yet I read review after review begging me to continue. This inspired me to finally sit down and keep going. It took a couple days, and a couple edits, but we're nearing the end of this story. I predict only one or two chapters left in this short escapade. However, the story won't end here. I have plans, you see.

To those who did review, thank you. Were it not for you, this might never have been finished. Truly, I owe this all to you.

Also, to the reader who thought I was a chick, I appreciate the compliment, and I'm sure I'd make a damn pretty looking girl if I was one.

Again, thanks to all of you, and read on.

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever owned the Teen Titans or any of the fine denizens of the DC Universe. My thanks to Warner Bros. and DC for letting me mess around in their world.**

**Chapter 8: Breaking Point**

Robin slept deeply throughout the night. He did not move, nor make a sound, save for the nigh inaudible breaths he took. Raven watched over him, forgoing sleep for meditation. Meditating would not only help sense any sort of mental trauma Robin might experience, but would also help deal with the flood of emotions that came with the decision to let her crush die.

Besides, Robin was asleep in her bed, and there was no way she was going to sleep next to him. That would be completely counterproductive.

Instead, Raven began to erect walls in her mind, layering them so each was stronger than the last. Here she sat deep inside her shell; her cocoon that would protect her from the pesky emotions of the outside world while she began carving away the silly dreams of some sort of mutual relationship. Though her desires, cravings, and feelings might pound away at the exterior, there would be no getting through. Raven was calm. Raven was serene. Raven had transcended her foolish desires. Raven was strong. Raven was safe.

Raven was alone.

* * *

When Robin finally awoke, the sun had almost reached its full height. Sunlight had permeated the cracks in Raven's blinds, giving the dark room an almost otherworldly feel. Robin's head pounded like a drum, but he had slept. In fact, he couldn't actually recall the last time he had slept so deeply without a nightmare or alarm to rouse him.

Robin opened his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings. The events of the previous night still seemed so unbelievable that he had written them off as a dream, but as he stretched in silk sheets that were definitely not his own, everything began rushing back to him. Robin sat bolt upright, eliciting a torrent of excruciating pain in his forehead. Groaning, Robin pressed his hand to his temple.

"Headache?" Raven's question cut through the dim room like a cold knife.

"Yeah," Robin croaked, his throat dry. He coughed, then tried again. "I feel like I have one of Cyborg's sonic blasts bouncing around inside my skull."

"It should subside soon. Your mind is still recuperating. Don't exert yourself today," she replied.

Robin grimaced as he examined the room. "Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly. "I didn't mean to pass out on your bed."

Raven shrugged.

Robin frowned. Raven was acting differently. She had slipped behind a mask of cold, emotionless severity. This was the Raven he had known for years; the one he had met when the team of unlikely heroes first joined forces, not the Raven he had come to know in the last couple of days. It was… unsettling.

"So are we going to sit here all day, or are you going to leave my room?" she asked.

"Sorry," he said, gingerly lifting himself out of bed. "You didn't have to let me stay here all night. You could have kicked me out."

"No. I couldn't have. It was better for me to make sure your head didn't attack itself while you slept. Besides, your overrides are still keyed in. I can't get out."

Robin blushed. "Oops. Sorry, don't let me do that again."

Raven just raised an eyebrow.

Robin moved towards the door and keyed in his code. The door swooshed open. He turned to face Raven but she had turned away.

"If you'll excuse me, I have a night's worth of sleep to catch up on," Raven said.

"Alright. Uh, when would be the best time for the next meditation lesson?"

Raven stiffened. "There won't be any more lessons."

"What?"

"It's best if we deal with this bond by ourselves."

"But you said-"

"I'll see you around," Raven interrupted, willing the door shut.

Robin heard the lock beep, and he sighed. Trying to ignore the pain in his head, he stumbled down the hallway towards his room.

* * *

Robin's headache persisted throughout the day, despite the painkillers he took. He tried to stay occupied with reports, case flies, and the police scanner, but the constant pain kept him from focusing. After re-reading the same line about Mad Mod's known aliases five times in a row, Robin threw the file onto his desk angrily.

The pain was relentless. Not enough to cripple him, but just enough to make sure nothing got done. It was the worst kind of frustration.

Abandoning his work, Robin's thoughts drifted to what caused his headache in the first place. Only a girl who wouldn't let herself feel emotion would take the time to create a separate world for all of them. Logic, Lust, Anger, Jealousy… Who knows how many more there could be that he hadn't met? Hell, Robin couldn't even manage his own emotions half the time. How hard would it have to be for her?

_She does tend to bring it on herself,_ he thought. _Some of them actually seemed pleasant, like Logic and the one in the pink cloak. Would it really kill her just to feel something for once instead of being an ice queen?_

Wait. What was it the pink-cloaked Raven said? '_I'm pretty sure you're a detective. You'll figure it out_.' Who was that one?

Robin pushed the files off his desk, making room for a sheet of paper he retrieved from a drawer. He began to scribble notes furiously, determined to succeed the construct's challenge. Starting with the ones he knew, it shouldn't be difficult to deduce the identity of this rogue emotion.

First, there was Logic. She wore yellow, was Raven's center of reasoning and rational thinking. She was concerned, but intelligent. A bit meek, but proud of her work, nonetheless. Plus, kinda cute in those glasses. Regardless, Logic was not the stray emotion.

Secondly, Anger. She wore red. Straightforward. Anger was protective, confrontational, and bossy. A bit of a bully; but mostly because he was trespassing. Not that one.

Next was Lust. She wore…hardly anything. But her cloak was red. A lighter shade of red. She was… well, to be completely honest she was sexy, but it was nothing more than hormones, right? I mean, Raven wasn't attracted to him. She dated those depressed boys with eyeliner. Not that there's anything wrong with that… focus. Alright. It's not lust.

Then there was Jealousy. She wore green. What was that phrase? Green with envy, clever. She was irrational, accusatory, and easily hurt. Jealousy was pretty straightforward, yet what was it that she said? 'What's she got that I haven't got? Why is she so special?' Who was she talking about? Starfire? Why would she be jealous…of…

No. No way. That couldn't be it. The construct could be Compassion. Yeah. Because she was caring. But when he talked to her… he had seen that soft smile before. It wasn't just compassion… it was more…

Robin wrote the word on the page as if it would be easier to wrap his mind around. It wasn't. The more he looked at it, the more it made sense. He circled it, as if to make sure it was real; each rotation of the pencil reinforcing the existence of the word.

Love.

How could he have been so stupid! Of course that was what it was! Think about it! She literally bonded with you. She acts differently than she used to. There's no other explanation. How thick could he get?

Robin took a deep breath. His head pounded harder. He was simultaneously excited, and terrified. Part of him was aware that he too was starting to fall for the amethyst-haired sorceress, while the other part remembered the half-attempted failed relationship with Starfire. She cared for him too, that much was obvious. But, try as she might, Starfire never truly understood Robin the way that Raven did. There was something about that pale girl that got his heart pumping. Something that made him return to her door, even when she told him off. Something that made him want to see that rare smile he'd seen that early morning, to hear that laugh as she threw a pillow at his head. It was almost a craving. Perhaps, it too, was…well, that was silly.

He smiled to himself, leaning back in his chair and tracing the word he had written. "Love," he muttered to himself.

"Love? Not on your life, old bean!"

Robin's blood froze in his veins. He held his breath, staying still as possible. He could have sworn he heard Mad Mod speak, but there was no way that could have happened.

"Oi! Birdy! I'm talking to you!" Mod's voice continued.

Robin sat forward. "Mod?" he questioned the walls, slowly reaching his hand towards his panic button under his desk.

"Yeah, it's me! Ol' Moddy. Don't worry about the panic button by the way, chap. Everyone will just think your crazy!"

Mod's voice seemed to be coming from the pile of discarded files. Reaching down, Robin retrieved Mod's file and opened it. The file was neatly organized, with a picture of Mod in the top right and all of the information categorized under its proper subtitle.

Robin stared at the file again, rubbing his eyes. "I'm losing it," he mumbled.

"Damn right you are. I can tell, you know," Mod said. Robin opened his eyes to see Mod's picture looking back up at him, bearing his most malicious smile. "They say it takes one to know one, eh?" he cackled.

Robin stood and backed away from the desk.

"He's right, you know. You're nuttier than a peanut-loving elephant turd, loser!" Gizmo's voice emanated from near the bottom of the pile. "Only a loser would think a weirdo like that would know anything about love. Now get these crud-munching dick-sniffers off of me!"

Robin shook his head, eliciting a fresh wave of pain. His monitor snapped on, revealing Control Freak's pimply face frowning at him. "What kind of ship is this? Everyone knows your pairing is already canon! God, you can't really think she would ruin her own ship? You're both gonna lose your fanbase. Well, besides me, that is. I'm your biggest fan. And strongest arch-nemesis."

Robin pressed up against the door, horrified of what he was seeing. Control Freak scratched his head thoughtfully. "You know, I take it back I'll support this ship. That means the red head's a free agent, right? You don't mind, do you?"

Robin screwed his eyes shut, refusing to acknowledge the hallucinations. "It's not real, it's not real, it's not real…"

Slade's voice sent a icy chill down his spine as he crooned into Robin's ear, "I never thought you were naïve enough to believe in love, Robin…"

Robin whirled around, slamming his fist into the door behind him. The villains' mangled horrible laughter increased, growing in volume and definition. Robin's heart began to race as it turned into an insane, terrifyingly familiar howl. "Why Robbie, you almost sound as crazy as me!" the Joker's cackled.

Robin burst out of his room, knowing he had to find Raven before his mind deteriorated further. As he looked behind him, he saw the Joker advancing slowly, chuckling like an exterminator with a rat in a trap.

Robin could barely see as he ascended the stairs; he must have stumbled and nearly fell five times on the first flight alone. The laughter followed him, becoming an ever present ringing in his ears.

By the time he reached Raven's hallway, the noise had become deafening. He slammed against Raven's door, chancing a glance behind him. The Joker had ascended the stairs, pulling a long barreled handgun from his jacket.

Robin pounded on the door, and tried to yell but he couldn't hear over the laughter. The Joker was advancing, his finger on the trigger, a maniacal look in his eye. He took aim, giggling madly the whole time.

Raven opened the door, an annoyed look on her face. The Joker smiled, and instead aimed at Raven. Raven's face turned to confusion as she waved her hand in front of Robin's face. The Joker's finger tightened on the trigger.

Robin tackled Raven to the ground, determined to get her out of harms way. The Joker calmly walked forward, gun in hand. "That's all, folks!" he grinned. He pulled the trigger. A bang. A flash. Robin's world went dark…

* * *

_No. Not again._

The crowd's applause rang in his ears. The bright lights blinded his eyes. High above, his parents waved to the crowd.

_Not now. Please. I can't watch this again._

They swung, gracefully, diving and flipping with the greatest of ease. Robin tried to turn; he tried to avert his eyes, but he watched, just like he did that night, as his parents fell to their deaths.

He clenched his fists tightly. Once again, the circus faded into black and the Joker's taunting face materialized out of the gloom.

"Don't cry, Robbie-kins!" the Joker cackled. "What would Mommy think of her little man bawling like a babe? And with such good intentions, tsk, tsk, tsk."

Robin turned, attempting to ignore the Joker's taunting.

"I seem to remember a promise to save everyone. That certainly didn't help your scary friend in the cloak, did it? Come to think of it, you made everything worse!"

The Joker erupted into howls of cruel laughter as Robin spun to face him. Yet this time, instead of the Joker's grin staring back at him, it was the assembled faces of his team. Starfire was sobbing softly into Cyborg's arm while he and Beast Boy shook their heads at Robin.

"Dude. That's messed up. How could you do that to her?" Beast Boy accused.

"I hope you're happy, man. You just fucked up two good things," Cyborg frowned.

"I thought you cared about me, Robin. I thought you cared…" Starfire sobbed.

Raven was nowhere to be found. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"It's all your fault, Robin. She's gone," they replied.

"WHERE **_IS_** SHE, GODDAMMIT?!" Robin roared.

"Right here, asshole," Raven's voice echoed from behind him.

Robin spun around, only to be met with Anger's fist. Her sucker punch knocked him straight on his ass.

"Hit him again!" Jealousy yelled from the left.

"He's not worth it. There are others who would be more…desireable." Lust agreed from the right.

Leaping to his feet Robin pushed past his aggressors, determined to find the real Raven.

As he passed they all echoed his team's earlier statement, "It's all your fault Robin."

"Raven? RAVEN!" Robin's calls echoed into the darkness as he pressed forward, but there was no response.

He called out for her as he ran through the darkness, searching endlessly until his throat was hoarse and he simply could not make his feet move any farther. Exhausted, Robin slumped to the ground in utter dejection.

"Giving up so soon, Robin? A shame. We were just about to start the real fun…"

A bright light snapped on, blinding Robin momentarily. As his vision came back, his heart stopped. A bloodied Raven sat strapped into a chair, her head drooping. An unmasked Batman sat in a chair opposite her, a bullet hole oozing blood from his head. In the middle, the Joker stood, his purple suit splattered with blood. He smiled.

"Both of them were so sure you'd come save them, Robin. Especially this one," he said, motioning to Raven with his revolver. "But even she gave up hope eventually. Your punishment will be much more severe than a tardy slip, young man!" the Joker grinned, waving his finger at Robin.

Snarling, Robin ran at his aggressor, but another chair sprang out of the darkness and grabbed him, strapping him in. Robin struggled against his bonds, but they would not break.

The Joker shook his head. "I really am disappointed, Robbie. I expected so much more out of you. So did Brucie, by the way. Now that I think about it, I really should have known it was him, but it was so much more _fun_ not knowing. I'll have to find other ways to keep myself amused, I suppose…"

Raven stirred. She was still alive! Robin struggled at his bonds with renewed vigor.

The Joker grinned. "Starting with her! Look closely Robin, I want you to see this. All it takes is one bad day… One bad day, and you end up as nutty as me!" Erupting into laughter, the Joker pulled back the hammer of the revolver and put the barrel in the center of Raven's forehead. She looked at Robin.

"RAVEN! NOOOOO!" Robin howled, tearing his wrists and arms open as the bonds tore into his flesh.

She looked back up at him. He laughed. The trigger was so easy to pull. A single twitch of the finger, and all his dreams would come crashing down. It would be so…easy…

A loud noise. A flash of light. Her head slumped to the ground. A scream from the side. He looked to see Robin…wait. He looked down at his hands. They were free. One held a pistol; the other was clad in a white glove… His purple suit was splattered with blood…

Robin dropped the gun in horror and turned to see a mirror, showing his own disfigured face laughing back at him. The Joker's face. His face. His own laughter was deafening, blocking out everything around him. He picked up the revolver, put it to his temple, watching his reflection do the same, howling with wicked laughter.

Suddenly, a figure with a glowing red gem in the middle of its head descended in front of him, its arm extending out towards Robin.

"Shhhh, relax," it whispered.

He faltered. "Relax, Robin," it cooed again, reaching out a hand. Robin's body went limp. The gun slipped from his hand.

The Joker's gleeful screeches faded into the blackness, and Robin slumped into the darkness surrounding him…

* * *

Despite the walls she had put up, Raven had felt a slight pang of distress for no apparent reason. Of course, it was the bond. Robin was worried about something, and it had to be powerful if it was enough for her to feel it through the walls she had put between herself and the bond. She had tried to ignore the bond's call, but she felt the first crack in her shell when he pounded on her door. He was yelling incoherently; a disturbing sign.

Raven answered the door, annoyed that he was resorting to some stupid plea for help just to get her attention. But when she noticed the inhuman look of terror on his face, she knew something was wrong.

His eyes were wild, and he was mumbling about Slade, the Joker, and other villains all coming for him. Already she could tell her earlier diagnosis was off, and that he was hallucinating. Quickly, her annoyance turned to concern, and she felt another slight crack in her carefully erected walls.

Robin ignored her as she waved a hand in front of his face, trying to get him to focus on the real world, but he was too busy looking over his shoulder in panic. Without warning he yelled at her to get down, then tackled her to the ground. Angrily, she removed herself from underneath him, intending to forcefully pacify him, but her anger evaporated as she heard him whimpering slightly as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Raven did a quick probe of his mind and instantly noticed the hallucinations assaulting him. Placing him gingerly on the bed, she began meditating, set upon healing the damage his blunder had done to his mind. It was a grueling process, as Robin's immune system responded with a fever, chills, and what she could imagine were dreadful dreams. She refused to enter his mind directly again; who knew how he would react to her influence. Instead, she focused her concentration like a scalpel, cutting away blackened areas and speeding the recovery process.

Robin did not make it easy for the sorceress. He thrashed around violently, and multiple times she had to induce a calm state of mind upon him just to keep him from hurting himself, yet the few moments of quiet never lasted long.

Raven struggled to heal Robin while maintaining a distance from him. His condition kept tugging at her heartstrings, her feelings for the boy pounding away at her emotionless walls.

Finally, after Robin involuntarily smacked her right in the face during a particularly heated seizure, she decided she had had enough. Taking a deep breath, Raven ventured into his mind.

The sight before her was alarming. The Joker sat slumped in the middle of the room, wearing a garish purple suit and holding a handgun to his temple. A man sat in a chair near him, a neat bullet-sized hole in his head. There was another Robin struggling in another chair, yet cackling gleefully. Last, there was a phantom of herself, a bullet wound leaking blood and brain matter. Raven shuddered at the scene.

She approached the Joker, and he looked at her. Though she was prepared to push him away and go to Robin's side, the Joker gazed her way with an uncannily familiar look in his eyes. She extended her hand, and the Joker's face melted away to reveal Robin's own.

Inwardly she gasped, but outwardly she remained calm. "Shhhh, relax," she said, taking a couple tentative steps towards him. His resolve faltered. She continued towards him, extending a hand to touch his face. "Relax, Robin," she urged, imbibing her words with a psychic push.

His hand went limp, the gun clattering to the floor. He collapsed into her arms, and she gently laid him down on the ground. Delicately, she began to stroke his head, ensuring he would remain calm. She stayed with him in the dark, holding onto him as her carefully erected walls crumbled around her.

As Raven extracted herself from Robin's mind, he stirred. In his sleep, he reached out for her. Unable to resist, she took his hand. He squeezed it, gently, and murmured her name.

Raven felt her heart break. She couldn't continue pretending her feelings would just go away. Despite her terror to indulge in an emotion, there was no way she could just pretend there was nothing between them. She loved him. If she had to love him from afar, then she would. She only hoped that one day, he could feel the same about her...


End file.
